Newspaper Page Text
gfre Aiiuancg
The ADVANCE, September 7, 2022/Page 5A
MoCo
continued from page 1A
which totaled $11,039 or
0.44%; however, 2021 saw
an 11.065 net tax increase,
which brought in an addi
tional $277,156.
This year’s millage
rate is expected to bring in
$2,909,210, an increase of
$125,125 from last year.
The proposed tax increase
for a home with a fair mar
ket value of $100,000 is ap
proximately $1.06, and the
proposed tax increase for
non-homestead property
with a fair market value of
$200,000 is $2.16.
This comes as a second
tax increase to Montgom
ery County taxpayers, as
the Montgomery County
Board of Commissioners
have proposed a millage rate
increase of 0.250 mills. The
effect on a home with a fair
market value of $100,000
willbe $10, and the increase
on a non-homestead prop
erty with a fair market value
of $50,000 will be $5.00.
Board members will
hear the concerns and reac
tions from the public to this
proposed millage rate at a
series of three public hear
ings, which are scheduled to
be held at the Montgomery
County Board of Education
office on Thursday, Septem
ber 8, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.,
and Thursday, September
15, at 2 p.m. The rate will be
voted on following the last
public hearing.
County Agent Introduced
Southeast District
County Extension Coor
dinator Cheryl Poppell
introduced new Montgom
ery County Agent Lauren
Braddy Stanley, who will
also work with the area 4-H
youth program.
The Board approved
helping to pay the salary the
County Agent at the regu
lar March meeting of the
Board of Education after
an agreement was made by
the Montgomery County
Board of Commissioners,
University of Georgia Ex
tension Office, and Mont
gomery County School
System to jointly fund the
position. Stanley was inter
viewed and recommended
for the position by the
UGA Extension Office, and
became the County Agent
upon the County Commis
sion’s approval last month.
“She is probably no
stranger to most of you.
Lauren Stanley comes to us
after a few years in educa
tion and has also worked in
agricultural chemical com
panies. She has a lot of ex
perience in both agriculture
and natural resources, and
youth, and I believe she will
be a great resource and asset
to this community,” Poppell
told the Board. “I also want
to thank you for your fund
ing this position and bring
ing a County Agent back to
Montgomery County.
Many board members
remembered Stanley from
her time as the elementary
and middle school agri
culture teacher during the
2020-2021 school year, and
were enthusiastic about her
return to the area.
“I want to thank you so
much for your support for
this position. I truly think I
have found what I think will
be my true passion, which
will be serving the county as
the agent for agriculture and
natural resources, as well as
the 4-H youth program,”
Stanley told the group. “I re
ally look forward to serving
my home and community.
I can honestly say that the
kids here are unmatched.
I did not find anyone like
them anywhere else. I look
forward to working with
those students again, and I
hope that I can be an asset
to the community.”
Board Chairman Jim
Paul Poole spoke to Stanley
on behalf of the Board. “We
do want to thank the UGA
Extension Office for find
ing us a very good agent.
We look forward to working
with you, Mrs.Stanley, for
the good of all of our chil
dren.”
Purchases
Centegenix
The Centegenix secu
rity alert system was ap
proved to be purchased
and installed at each school
campus for $112,401, and
will be funded through the
Elementary and Secondary
School Emergency Relief
(ESSER) Fund. This system
is currently being employed
by several other surround
ing school systems and al
lows teachers to call for im
mediate help from school
staff and/or emergency
professionals.
The system is con
trolled by a badge, which
the school requires all staff
members to wear. When
an incident occurs, these
staff members may press
the badge 3 times for school
personnel’s response, and
8 for emergency person
nel’s response. These badges
then transmit this signal to
the appropriate authorities
who can see the location
and identification of the
staff member requesting as
sistance.
When the badge is
pressed 8 times for an emer
gency, red lights begin flash
ing in the hallway, a message
plays over the intercom,
computer screens within
the school show emergency
procedures and where the
emergency is occurring,
and law enforcement is con
tacted.
“Teachers would press
the badge 3 times for things
like an injury, a fight, or oth
er school level incidents,”
Assistant Superintendent
Brian Barnhill. “Meanwhile,
they would press it 8 times
for things like intruders,
shooters, heart attacks, and
major events of that nature.”
Barnhill also presented
the Board with testimonies
from other school systems,
such as Houston and Mus
cogee County and Met-
ter School System, who all
agreed the system is an ex
cellent investment in their
schools’ safety.
The installation will
occur between October
and November of this year.
Once installed, teachers and
staff will be trained on the
equipment and will con
duct periodic practice drills
of the alert system.
Buses
Board members ap
proved the purchase of 2
gasoline-powered Blue Bird
buses for $127,694 each.
Transportation Director
Reggie Ricks explained that
Please see MoCo page 9A
From the Record
THE BLOTTER
These are the reported
arrests from the Toombs
County Sheriff's Office,
the Vidalia and Lyons
police departments,
and the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office
for the past week.
Incidents are taken
directly from police
files, All suspects are
innocent until proven
guilty.
In Lyons...
• Thomas James
Drew, of Lyons,was
arrested on August
30 and charged with
Warrant Service.
• Jason Blake
Johnson, of Lyons,
was arrested on Sep
tember 3 and
charged with DUI-
Commercial Vehicle,
Failure to Maintain
Lane, Possession of a
Controlled Sub
stance, Possession of
Drug Related Ob
jects, Warrant Ser
vice.
• Eric Bradley
Hudson, of Lyons,
was arrested on Sep
tember 2 and
charged with Shop
lifting, Criminal Tres
pass.
In Toombs
County...
• Jerry Arm
strong, of Swains-
boro, was arrested
on September 1 and
charged with Ag
gravated Assault.
• Edwin Boney,
of Ailey, was ar
rested on Septem
ber 1 and charged
with DUI/Drugs/Less
Safe.
• Jermaine
Brown, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Sep
tember 1 and
charged with Pos
session of Marijuana
< 1 oz.; Cocaine-Pur
chase, Possession,
Manf, Distribution,
Sale; Heroin-Pur
chase, Possession,
Manf, Distribution,
Sale; Methamphet-
amine-Purchase,
Possession, Manf,
Distribution, Sale;
TCDC-Off Bond-Pre
vious Case.
• Charles Con
ner, of Uvalda, was
arrested on Septem
ber 1 and charged
with False Imprison
ment Under Color of
Legal Process.
• Jada Davis, of
Wadley, was ar
rested on Septem
ber 3 and charged
with DUI/Alcohol/
Less Safe, Illegal
Stop/Stand/Park
Where Prohibited.
• John Dixon, of
Ailey, was arrested
on August 31 and
charged with Proba
tion Violation-Felony.
• Jose Gonzalez-
Perez, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Au
gust 29 and charged
with Possession of
Marijuana < 1 oz.,
Speeding in Excess
of Maximum Limits,
DUI/Drugs/Less Safe,
Possession of Drug
Related Objects.
• Tiffany Hunt, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on August 29 and
charged with Proba
tion Violation-Felony.
• Caleb Kan-
geter, of Ellabell, was
arrested on August
29 and charged with
Theft by Taking.
• James King, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on August 30 and
charged with Proba
tion Violation-Misde
meanor.
• Johnny King, of
Lyons, was arrested
on August 31 and
charged with Meth-
amphetamine-Pur-
chase, Possession,
Manf, Distribution,
Sale; Mandatory Ed
ucation for Children
Between Ages 6 and
16.
• Christopher
Taylor, of Ailey, was
arrested on August
28 and charged with
DUI/Alcohol/Less
Safe, Open Con
tainer-Alcoholic Bev
erage-Passenger,
Tag Light Require
ments.
• Lodus Tharpe,
Jr., of Ailey, was ar
rested on August 29
and charged with
Theft by Taking, Fail
ure to Appear-Mis-
demeanor, TCDC-
Out of County Hold.
• Paige Wade, of
Alma, was arrested
on August 29 and
charged with Finan
cial Transaction
Card Fraud, Theft by
Taking.
• Charles Willis,
Jr., of Vidalia, was ar
rested on Septem
ber 2 and charged
with Probation Viola
tion-Misdemeanor.
In Montgomery
County...
The Montgomery
County Sheriff's De
partment Police Re
port was unavailable
at presstime.
In Vidalia...
• James Darrell
Davis, of Vidalia, was
arrested on August
31 and charged with
Possession of a Con
trolled Substance /
Possession of Mari
juana / Loitering and
Prowling / Simple
Obstruction.
• Jonathan D.
Jenkins, Jr., of Vida
lia, was arrested on
August 31 and
charged with Hit
and Run.
• Charles Edward
Cowart, Jr., of Lyons,
was arrested on Sep
tember 2 and
charged with War
rant Served (Houston
County).
• Derek James
Collins, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Sep
tember 3 and
charged with Disor
derly Conduct.
Kemp renews temporary suspension
of state sales tax on gasoline
Kemp allocates funds for
school health care and
COVID learning loss recovery
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Gov. Brian Kemp is
sued an executive order
Thursday extending the
temporary suspension of
the state sales tax on gaso
line and other motor fuels
that has been in effect since
March.
The latest extension
runs through Oct. 12.
In extending the sus
pension, Kemp cited the
highest inflation in 40
years, gasoline prices that
have fallen from June’s re
cord but remain high, and
ongoing supply chain chal
lenges.
“We are using the
means available to us to
provide much-needed re
lief to Georgians,” the Gov
ernor said.
A second executive or
der Kemp signed Thursday
renewed his emergency
declaration related to sup
ply chain disruptions.
The General Assembly
approved the first tempo
rary suspension of the mo
tor fuels sales tax in March.
Kemp has extended the
suspension several times
through executive orders
since this year’s legislative
session ended in April.
Since that first suspen
sion of the tax, the average
price of gasoline in Georgia
has remained among the
lowest in the nation and is
currently 46 cents per gal
lon below the national av
erage, according to AAA.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News
Service, a project of the
Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.
By Rebecca Grapevine
Staff Reporter
Capitol Beat
Gov. Brian Kemp this
week announced increased
funding to address COV
ID learning loss and build
school-based health cen
ters in Georgia.
On Monday, Kemp
said $37.4 million will go
to organizations helping
Georgia students recover
from COVID learning loss.
On Tuesday, the Re
publican governor said he
is allocating an additional
$125 million to pay for
school health centers.
All told, the total is
$162.4 million. The fund
ing comes from federal
COVID relief funds allo
cated to the state in 2020
and 2021.
The funding for Geor
gia school-based health
centers (SBHCs) will be
administered by the De
partment of Education
through a grant program,
Kemp said.
School-based health
centers can provide a vari
ety of services depending
on a community’s need.
These include providing
primary and behavioral
care, treating illnesses, and
providing vision and den
tal services.
“SBHCs have also
been proven to help com
munities by reducing
avoidable or unnecessary
emergency room visits, in
creasing access to quality
health-care options, [and]
improving school atten
dance records...,” a state
ment from the governor’s
office said.
The $37.4 million in
education funding will
pay for tutoring to help
students recover from
COVID learning loss and
help students with special
needs.
Recipients include the
Georgia Department of
Early Care and Learning,
the Georgia Department
of Education, the Georgia
Alliance of YMCAs, the
Georgia Alliance of Boys &
Girls Clubs, and the Geor
gia Public Library Service.
A spokesman for Dem
ocrat Stacey Abrams —
who is challenging Kemp
for the governorship in
November — criticized
Kemp's announcements.
"Brian Kemp already
cut nearly $1 billion from
public education — and
now wants credit for fed
eral investment he repeat
edly opposed," said Alex
Floyd, a spokesman for the
campaign.
Georgia has a historic
budget surplus, in part due
to federal COVID relief
funds that flowed to the
state government and part
ly due to record economic
growth.
Kemp plans to send
$350 in cash assistance to
low-income Georgians en
rolled in state benefit pro
grams like food assistance
and Medicaid, he said last
week. That will account for
more than $ 1 billion of the
state surplus.
Kemp also announced
he would spend $2 billion
of the surplus on tax re
funds and homeowner tax
rebates if he is reelected in
November.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News
Service, a project of the
Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.
Southeastern
f TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Southeastern Technical College is an equal opportunity employer
and offers the following career and technical education programs for
all regardless of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, age, disability,
or national origin:
The college offers many associate degree, diploma, and technical
certificate of credit programs in air conditioning technology,
automotive and diesel technology, business management, CNC,
computer information systems, cosmetology, criminal justice,
dental hygiene, electronics technology, fish and wildlife, nursing,
and more.
Persons seeking further information concerning the career and
technical education offerings and specific pre-requisite criteria for
admission to these programs should contact the admissions office at
(478) 289-2200 in Swainsboro or (912) 538-3100 in Vidalia or visit
the college website at www.southeasterntech.edu.
Southeastern Technical College offers additional services to
students with limited English language skills or with disabilities
so that they may benefit from these programs. For additional
information regarding these services, your rights, grievance
procedures, or the Colleges non-discrimination policies please
contact Lanie Jonas, Title VI/Title IX coordinator, office 138B at
ljonas(S)southeasterntech.edu or (912) 538-3230 or contact Helen
Thomas, Title IX, Section 504 coordinator, office 165, at hthomas(S)
southeasterntech.edu or (912) 538-3126. Both offices are located in
the Vidalia campus administration building at 3001 East First Street,
Vidalia, GA 30474.