Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, July 26, 2023/Page 2A
5t?e Aiiuancg
MoCo
continued from page 1A
tion. The commissioners
explained that in response
to the Board of Tax Asses
sors’ assessments of resi
dential properties back in
June, the group reached
out to the Association of
County Commissioners of
Georgia to begin searching
for alternatives to provide
additional exemption op
portunities for homeown
ers.
As evidenced by as
sessed values, the housing
market in Montgomery
County is experiencing a
very high inflationary envi
ronment. In addition, large
and small tracts of land
are selling at much higher
rates per acre. Chairman
Leland Adams comment
ed on this situation. “The
inflation we are experienc
ing is impacting not only
homeowners, but all class
es of property owners. A
farmer’s operating expens
es are high right now. Shift
ing the tax load to small
and large tracts favoring
residential properties must
be evaluated carefully. The
commissioners are going
to have to weigh every op
tion carefully. Every coun
ty’s digest is different. One
exemption option for one
county may not be best
for another county. As we
weigh our options, we will
make sure every property
taxpayer is treated fairly,”
he remarked.
Citizen Amie Vassey
also spoke to the commis
sioners at the work ses
sion and regular meeting,
held on July 17, about the
option, which she also
discovered during her re
search. “When we bring a
problem to the commis
sioners, we should also
bring a solution,” she em
phasized. “
“You guys know that
at the meeting on June 22,
the Board of Tax Asses
sors threw our values out
- they did the right thing.
But, since then, the nag
ging question has been are
we going to be in the same
situation next year, and the
answer is yes,” she told the
group. “The good news is
that we don’t have to be -
there’s a permanent solu
tion here. Whereas before,
we were told the ball was
in the Board of Tax Asses
sor’s court, and it was, it is
now in the Board of Com
missioners control. It has
been tossed back.”
She said 36 counties
in the state have this sort
of exemption. “I was un
der the impression that
Montgomery County had
homestead exemption,
but when I got to digging,
guess what? We don’t,” she
added. “The state of Geor
gia has homestead exemp
tions, and we just kickback
off of that. Every county
has the right through the
state constitution to write
their own and make their
own homestead exemp
tion.”
Vassey said that she
had reviewed the legisla
tion regarding neighbor
ing Toombs County’s
homestead exemption
and found it to be benevo
lent and applicable within
Montgomery County. She
asked commissioners to
consider the option.
If the commissioners
choose to pursue this sort
of exemption, a local act
will have to be introduced
in the Georgia General As
sembly. Per the Georgia
Constitution, exempting
property from ad valorem
taxation requires a two-
thirds vote of the general
assembly. This is differ
ent from most local acts,
which only require a sim
ple majority vote.
If the local act calling
for an exemption passes
the General Assembly,
it will require a local ref
erendum on the issue. A
successful referendum will
create or adjust the tax ex
emption. The change in
law does not apply until
the following year after
passage of any referendum
that requires the General
Assembly approval.
School
continued from page 1A
the upcoming school year,
as they provide boxes of
supplies, complete with
pencils, paper, folders,
headphones, and any other
items that may be needed
for the term. These boxes
have been provided for the
past three years through
ESSER funding, extra fed
eral funding received dur
ing the Covid pandemic.
“When we received
this extra funding, we re
ally started looking at what
we could do to help our
students, and we discov
ered that providing school
supplies was a huge help,”
Toombs County Curricu
lum Director Tonawanda
Irie explained. “We are
so glad to make it where
these students do not have
to worry if they will have
what they need for school.”
Montgomery County
Superintendent Stan Rentz
also commented on this
opportunity to help stu
dents, saying, “We are so
happy to be able to pro
vide this resource for our
students to make sure they
have a great year.”
Toombs County
Schools will begin their
new school year on Friday,
August 4, while Montgom
ery County Schools will
have their first day for stu
dents on Thursday, August
3. Both districts comment
ed on their excitement for
the new school year.
“We are extremely
excited about the start of
the new school year. As a
school system, we chal
lenge our staff every day
to chase excellence as we
prepare our students to
be successful. There is al
ways an excitement in the
air with the beginning of
school and as we welcome
back staff and students,
our goal is to capitalize on
the positive momentum of
the last several years and to
continue to pour life into
our students,” Toombs
County Superintendent
Barry Waller emphasized.
Rentz remarked, “We
are gearing up for another
great year at Montgomery
County Schools and are ex
cited for all that is to come.”
Wheeler County
Schools will also resume
on Friday, August 4, and
Superintendent Suzanne
Couey spoke on her hopes
for the new school year.
“We are looking forward
to welcoming our students
back for a new school year.
We are excited to welcome
several new teachers at each
school and new principals
at WCES and WCMS.
They will join our quality
staff, and we will all remain
dedicated to our mission
to inspire, care, and sup
port our students and help
them develop into leaders,”
she said. “We hope parents
and students will be able to
join us for open house on
Thursday, August 3, from
1 to 3:30 p.m. and look
forward to seeing everyone
for our first day of school
on Friday, August 4.”
Vidalia City Schools
Superintendent Garrett
Wilcox shared his excite
ment for the new accom
plishments that will occur
throughout the school
year. “The start of a new
school year always creates
excitement. Our staff and
teachers are preparing to
meet the needs of students
by providing a challenging,
structured, and safe envi
ronment that we hope in
spires each student to reach
new academic heights,” he
explained.
Vidalia Heritage Acad
emy (VHA) and Rob
ert Toombs Christian
Academy (RTCA) com
mented on their time with
the school, which helped
evoke their enthusiasm for
the new year.
Jeff McCormick of
VHA said, “The upcoming
school year will be my 18th
year as the Head of School
at the Academy. That is al
most unheard of in private
schools today. But I can
say that after 18 years, and
somewhere in the neigh
borhood of 1300 students
— just as the mercies of
God are new each morn
ing — I still wake up each
morning excited about
what new thing God is go
ing to do in the hearts and
lives of each student and
staff member. So as we ap
proach this new year, I can
hardly wait to see all of the
new and returning mem
bers of our VHA family.
“Our theme this year
is: ‘Be Ready. Be Brave. Be
Please see School page
16A
Armed and
Barricaded Invader
Surrenders
Courtesy of Vidalia Police
Department
The Vidalia Police
Department and Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office
worked in unison on Sat
urday to detain a suspect,
who barricaded himself
within a home during a
home invasion to avoid ap
prehension.
On July 22, at approxi
mately 6:52 p.m., the Vi
dalia Police Department
responded to reports of a
male subject, later iden
tified as Antonio Devon
Knowles, 43, of Vidalia,
armed with a machete that
made forceful entry into an
occupied residence, locat
ed at 703 West Street. The
female home occupant ex
ited the residence without
harm, and Vidalia patrol
officers set up a perimeter
around the home, main
taining communication
with Knowles.
The Vidalia Investi
gative Services Division,
which includes a crisis ne
gotiator, arrived on-scene
and continued to negoti
ate with the subject. At
approximately 8:05 p.m.,
the crisis negotiator and a
Toombs County Sheriff’s
Office deputy were able to
persuade Knowles to sur
render without further in
cident.
Knowles was taken to
Memorial Health Mead
ows Hospital for medical
evaluations, and then was
turned over to the Toombs
County Detention Center
upon release from medical
care. He faces charges of
Home Invasion in the 2nd
Degree and Possession of a
Weapon During the Com
mission of a Crime.
The Vidalia Police De
partment extends gratitude
to the Toombs County
Sheriff’s Office for their as
sistance.
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