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The ADVANCE, August 18, 2021 /Page 2A (Eift Aiiuancg Montgomery County Prepares to Lower Millage Rate By Makaylee Randolph Contributing Writer Because of the increase in the net digest value on local property, the Mont gomery County Com mission plans to lower the millage rate, the tax rate used to calculate indi vidual property taxes each year, from 15.458 to 14.7. The Montgomery County Commission will hold a meeting to set the millage rate on Friday, August 27, at 11:30 a.m. at the Mont gomery County Adult Lit eracy Center. For the past five years, the net digest value in Kemp continued from page 1A rural hospitals, the gover nor told reporters during a news conference at the state Capitol. Commissioner of Community Health Cay- lee Noggle and her team have also identified 450 beds in nine regional co ordinating hospitals that will be soon be available for the new staff being de ployed to treat patients. Kemp said his deci sion to increase hospital staff was based on input during the last week from hospital CEOs. “Virtually every hos pital’s most pressing is sue was a lack of qualified staff to treat the patients coming thru their doors, nurses, respiratory thera pists, ICU personnel, just to name a few,” he said. The additional hospi tal staff will be provided through a continuation of the state’s no-bid contract with a private Alpharetta- based staffing firm, Jack- son Healthcare, and a sub sidiary. Georgia Health News reported recently that the contract, which began with the first wave of COVID-19 in Geor gia last year, had brought Jackson $434 million as of July 23. Kemp’s announce ment Monday came as Georgia continued to lag the nation in COVID-19 vaccinations. As of Mon day, 48% of Georgians had received at least one dose of a vaccine, compared to the national average of 59.7%. About 41% of Geor gians had been fully vacci nated, compared to 50.7% of all Americans. The governor also the county has had mini mal change, averaging $180,000,000. However, the 2021 net digest has dra matically increased, rising to $198,854,677, because the countywide value of timber has nearly doubled from $3,757,310 last year to $6,028,189 this year. Also, the real and per sonal estate values have risen from $201,008,707 last year to $217,897,379 this year, County Manager Brandon Braddy explained. The Commission plans to lower the millage rate in the county, but even with the lowered millage, taxes announced Monday that state offices will be closed on Friday, Sept. 3, in ad vance of Labor Day to en courage state employees who have not been vacci nated to schedule a shot on or before that day. Kemp also doubled down on his previous declaration that the state will remain open for busi ness despite a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, hos pitalizations and deaths driven by the highly con tagious delta variant. “We will not shut businesses down,” he said. “We will not prevent fam ilies from earning a pay- check.” The governor also de fended his decision not to impose a mask mandate on teachers and students in Georgia schools. How ever, he said he would support any choice indi vidual schools or school districts might make to From the PORCH will have a 4.78% net tax increase, totaling $133,243 more than last year. County Commission Chairman Leland Ad ams commented on this change. “Property values did increase because of the Board of Tax Assessors’ recent reassessment. The Commissioners are consid ering lowering the millage rate to lessen the tax bur den created by the reassess ment. However, the effect of the proposed millage rate will depend on each property owner’s respec tive property value.” switch to online classes for a short period of time due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. “Let the schools deal with the individual situ ations they have,” Kemp said. “That’s better than one size fits all.” Overall, 982,589 Georgians have contract ed COVID-19 since the pandemic began, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) reported Monday. About 90% of the current cases involve the delta variant, DPH Commissioner Dr. Kath leen Toomey said Mon day. The virus has hospi talized 68,852 Georgians and resulted in 21,978 confirmed or probable deaths. On Monday alone, the DPH reported 5,165 confirmed cases, 212 hospitalizations and 45 deaths. A collection of personal essays from author Amber Nagle’s weekly column published in The Advance COVID continued from page 1A ing, Meadows reported 36 patients in house who were being treated for COVID. Twelve of these patients were on ventilators. “That is the highest number in the history of our organiza tion,” Me Coll said. “Every bed in our ICU is occupied and four patients are on ventilators in our PCU.” Doctors at Meadows say the most effective way to stay out of the hospital with COVID-19 is to get vaccinated - right now. “The vaccine has prov en to be safe and it works. The vast majority of CO- VID-19 patients in our hos pital are unvaccinated,” Mc- Coll said. Of the 36 patients now being treated, only three have been vaccinated and those patients are not on ventilators. Currently, more than 64% of the inpatients at Meadows are being treated for COVID-19. “That’s a record for this pandemic,” Me Coll said. Last week 44 patients were being treated for CO VID at Meadows. Since then, five of those patients have passed away and sev eral others have been trans ferred to Atlanta for ad vanced care, McColl said. The hospital has started providing mono clonal antibody infusions for those patients whose primary care physicians provide referrals. In these cases, patients are exhibit ing mild symptoms, have been recently diagnosed, and must have tested posi tive for COVID. Vaccina tion status is not a factor. To help with the influx of patient, Meadows has temporarily closed the Im mediate Care Office and moved those clinicians to the hospital. “We’ve also had to send some COVID-19 patients to other HCA Health care Hospitals in Georgia and South Carolina,” said Meadows CEO Matt Hasb- rouck. “We are fortunate to have the support of HCA Healthcare.” “It’s no coincidence that our community vacci nation rate is low and our COVID-19 hospitalization rate is high,” Dr. McColl added. “We need every one’s help. We need people to get vaccinated.” Memorial Health Meadows Hospital is oper ating a public vaccination clinic at 1707 Meadows Lane, Suite A (2nd Floor), Vidalia, GA 30474. To schedule an appointment for a free vaccination, call (912) 535-SAFE (7233) or visit www.memorialhealth. com/ covid -19/ covid- 19-vaccine-information/. The Schools In a shocking an nouncement Friday, Ware County Schools announced it was send ing teachers and students home until September be cause of a sharp increase in cases of COVID-19. The school district reported 76 students are currently posi tive for COVID-19 and 679 more are in quarantine due to possible exposure. In this area, no schools have suspended classes be cause of the virus, but the number of COVID cases is beginning to climb. At Vidalia City Schools, 14 students were COVID positive and 101 were quar antined. The system has a total of 2,504 students and 338 staff. None of the staff were COVID positive and only two had been quaran tined for exposure. At Toombs County School System, 29 students out of a total of 2,945 have current positive COVID status. Nine of the system’s 406 employees have tested positive for COVID. On Friday afternoon, Wheeler County School Superintendent Suzanne Couey announced that the system’s Prekindergar ten program would begin on Monday, August 16 as planned. The program had been delayed because of the number of COVID cas es among the Pre-K staff. The system began classes on August 9, rather than the original date of August 6, because a num ber of COVID cases had broken out among staff and students. The system had also had to make ad justments on bus routes because some school bus drivers had tested positive for COVID. The system mandated that all students and staff wear masks throughout the school day and on buses in an effort to keep expo sure to the highly conta gious virus at a minimum. This mandate resulted in a few parents attending last week’s School Board ses sion to protest the mandate; however, the Board did not rescind the mandate. In a weekly report on its web site Friday, August 13, the Wheeler System reported 51 students and 16 staff were quarantined (including current and pre vious week) and 16 staff. Three students and four staff members were posi tive for COVID-19. Montgomery County Schools reported five total current COVID positive cases: teachers, 4; students, 3; and other staff, 1. A total of 46 are quarantined, in cluding 3 teachers and 43 students. Information for Rob ert Toombs Academy and Vidalia Heritage Academy was not available at dead line. “Nagle writes with Southern flavor and charm, capturing the rhythms of her life with grace and artistry.” - Audrey Andersen Get your copy at jwgihave PLIENTiY'of. Mattresses I INSTOCK!!! iii j ii A Mattress deals foo HOT to pass on!! s 199 Queen 249 King Recliners Starting at $249 GREAT FURNITURE AAATTRESS 500 E. FIRST ST. 912.403.3238 ask Ms. Magnolia 4 Letters have been edited for length and clarity. Dear Ms. Magnolia, When all Americans are told they have to change the correct pronouns that they have always used to keep from hurting just a couple of people’s feel ings, they are being led “like sheep to the slaughter.” Just because they are confused about what gender they are doesn’t mean lam. I like or dislike individual people for who they are around me. I don 7 put my friends into groups like color or gender or profession. I don’t intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings, and I’m not changing the way I was brought up to be, which is to be courteous and thoughtful of oth ers. This is America. If they don’t like me, they don 7 have to be around me. And if the place I work thinks I have to change in any way but in my profes sional capacity, they are infringing on my personal space and I don 7 need to work there. I am a hard worker and I can find a job. I can like most any job; it doesn’t have to like me. If more people refused to work under these silly new conditions, the companies might come back to reality, so we can start to work for the good of everybody in peace again. Just Me Dear Just Me, Your point is well-taken. If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA 30475, or e-mail to nisniagnoliaadvance@yahoo.com. Copies now available assays ' wee