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Barrow ... Journal
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Wednesday, December 10,2008
Vol. 1 No. 7 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 25c COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Gloria Wall honored
at retirement celebra
tion page 3A
• Numerous holiday
events scheduled in
Barrow County
page 3A
•Journal to pub
lish kids photos for
Christmas .... page 3A
Opinions:
•Remembering a poli
tician of the people
page 4A
•Readers have their
say: Letters to the
Editor page 5A
Sports:
•Apalachee and
WBHS wrestling teams
compete at Jackson
County page 7 B
•WBHS basketball
welcomes old rival this
week page 7 B
•Apalachee basket
ball teams to face Hart
County Saturday
page 4B
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Obituaries
page 9A
•School News
pages 5-6B
•Church News
page 9B
Auburn postpones city charter change
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A vote on changing the city charter
in Auburn will not take place until
2009.
The Auburn City Council voted
last Thursday night to delay taking
action on the controversial issue until
another work session could be held.
Council member Dorissa
Shackelford made the motion after
several typing mistakes in the pro
posed new charter were pointed out.
“I think we need to meet on a
Saturday and go paragraph by para
graph,” Shackelford said.
“If we do it at a regular
work session and stall at
7,1 don't think there will
be enough time. I think
we should do this after
the holidays."
The council then voted
unanimously to postpone
any action on possibly
altering the charter until the unsched
uled work session can be held.
The next public hearing, set for
Dec. 18, has been cancelled.
Several citizens spoke
during Thursday’s public
hearing on the proposed
charter changes, some in
opposition to the idea.
While some of the
changes are mostly cos
metic, the main focus has
been a proposal to allow
the city to issue bonded
debt without first having a vote of
Auburn citizens.
That charter language limiting
the town's ability to issue debt was
added in 1998.
City attorney Jack Wilson, speak
ing at last week's council meeting,
said that in 1998, there was not a
downtown development authority.
Wilson said there is a need for
revitalization in the downtown area,
a move the town’s new DDA could
undertake.
Wilson said obtaining bonds could
be a method to fund this downtown
project.
continued on page 3A
BLECHINGER
Joyful celebrations
Winder: Tough 2009 forecast
NCTUARY
SPIRIT
HOLIDAY WEEKEND
Winder and Barrow County residents had an opportunity to enjoy a taste of the
holidays Saturday. (Top) Members of the Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit Church in
Winder dressed in Charles Dickens era costumes and sang Christmas carols
Saturday evening while (bottom) spectators gathered for the 60th annual Winder
Christmas parade. See more parade photos on page 10A.
Photos by Jessica Brown
Property tax, sales
tax may be pushed
BY SUSAN NORMAN
Economic reality is trump
ing political expediency as
Winder officials brace for
a new year that could pose
uncharted fiscal challenges.
In interviews following
last week’s council actions
to rein in health and retire
ment costs, the city's top two
officials spoke candidly about
the rough road ahead and the
unpopular measures that may
be taken.
“We're doing a lot of antici
pation of what might happen,”
said Mayor George “Chip”
Thompson III. “If this hap
pens, we do that; if that hap
pens, we do this, and who are
we going to lay off. We can't
wait. It's hard. This is the part
of being mayor that I never
really anticipated having to
do.”
In addition to spending cuts,
Thompson and city admin
istrator Bob Beck have their
sights set on two potential
sources of new revenue: A city
sales tax or a resurrected city
property tax.
Thompson said he fully
supports a 2009 Georgia
Municipal Association leg
islative proposal to enable
all Georgia cities to levy a
Municipal Option Sales Tax
(MOST) on sales within their
boundaries.
“We’re asking as a group
of municipalities to have that
option available,” Thompson
said. Atlanta’s city govern
ment has levied a 1-percent
MOST since 2004. Its sales
tax is now 8 percent. Winder's
is 7 percent.
If the Georgia General
Assembly in January doesn’t
go along with a statewide
MOST levy, Thompson may
dust off the city property tax
that was mothballed in 1978.
“I hope not, but that’s where
we are. We have to think of
everything,” he said. “It's not
something we want to do, but
it could be a possibility... It
looks like the money is not
going to be there this year.”
continued on page 8A
Audit: Winder OK for
now, but revenues soften
The City of Winder ended its fiscal year June 30 in a rela
tively good financial position despite the economic downturn.
But there are some warning signs in the FY08 audit recently
released for the troubled economic climate ahead. Sales taxes,
the city’s largest single source of general fund revenue, were
soft, down slightly from the year before about one percent.
More significantly, business licenses and building permit
income was down about 40 percent from the year before, a
decline of $157,000.
Despite the softness in those areas, the city’s general fund
revenues grew overall by 11 percent in FY08 to just over $9
million. Much of the revenue growth was due to more dollars
being allocated in the general fund from the city's utility sys
tems, which operate water, sewer and gas systems.
That income growth, however, was more than offset by
higher expenses of 21 percent in the city’s general fund, grow
ing from $10.7 million in FY07 to $12.9 million at the end of
FY08. The difference in the city's general fund income and
expenses is made up by transfers from the city’s profitable util
ity system, which netted $3.5 million in FY08, and also from
a $1.6 lease note.
The city’s largest expense department is the city police
department at $4.3 million, followed by general administration
at $2.4 million, public works at $2.3 million and the fire depart
ment at $2.18 million.
continued on page 8A
Unemployment numbers continue to climb in NEGA
County rate is highest in area
Unemployment Rates
Area Oct. 2008 Oct. 2007
State 7.0% 4.5%
NE Ga. 7.3 4.4
Barrow County 7.4 4.2
Jackson County 7.0 4.1
Madison County 5.9 3.7
Banks County 5.1 3.0
Clarke County 6.7 3.6
Hall County 6.3 3.5
Gwinnett County 6.3 3.9
Unemployment Insurance Claims
Area
Oct. 2008
Oct. 2007
Change%
State
72,627
41,506
75%
Barrow County
526
230
129%
Jackson County
382
165
131%
Madison County
227
132
72%
Banks County
81
46
76%
Clarke County
680
282
141%
Hall County
1,141
550
107%
Gwinnett County
3,639
1,994
82%
BARROW COUNTY had
the highest unemployment
rate in the heart of Northeast
Georgia in October with a rate
of 7.4 percent. That was higher
than the state average of 7 per
cent and higher than all of
the Northeastern Georgia area
which was at 7.3 percent.
In addition, Barrow saw
its unemployment insurance
claims jump in October from
230 in 2007 to 526 in October
2008, a 129 percent increase.
Jackson County was also
hard hit in October's employ
ment rates with an unem
ployment rate of 7 percent
compared to 4.1 percent the
year before. While lower in
raw numbers, Jackson’s ini
tial unemployment insur
ance claims rose faster than
Barrow’s in October with
a 131 percent climb over
October 2007.
Banks County had the low
est unemployment in the area
at 5.1 percent, although that
was higher than the county’s 3
percent in October 2007.
Madison County was a little
higher at 5.9 percent compared
to 3.7 percent the year before.