Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Area N e ws
Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority
Local providers taking steps to save water
Higher water rates, the banning of non-essential water
use and additional connections between area water sys
tems are all steps local water providers are taking to help
manage the current water shortage.
Next week, those receiving water through the Jackson
County Water and Sewerage Authority will begin paying
a rate of $5.75 per thousand gallons up to 6,000 gallons
per month and $8.75 per thousand gallons for usage over
that amount.
Some area towns, including Jefferson, have also insti
tuted higher water rates to encourage more conservation.
Last week, the JCWSA removed all exemptions to the
outdoor watering ban, in effect banned all personal and
commercial use of water outdoors. Hearings are sched
uled Thursday to hear appeals from business affected by
the rule.
In addition, county officials hope to establish an emer
gency connection with the City of Gainesville to draw
from should the reservoirs serving Jackson County
become unusable.
Currently, the JCWSA is feeding water to Jefferson and
Hoschton in addition to its own customers. The authority
is still getting water from the Bear Creek Reservoir and is
also buying water from Commerce.
Commerce is supplying its customers and is supple
menting the county system, Jefferson, Maysville and
Banks County water systems.
The JCWSA has also established a connection with the
City of Braselton for emergency use should pressure in
the county system drop too low. Braselton gets water from
both Gwinnett and Barrow counties.
The City of Hoschton has also reopened some old wells
to supplement the water it purchases from the county
system.
Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce
Chamber concerned about state tax plan
It wasn’t on the agenda, but a
proposed constitutional amendment
to eliminate property taxes is raising
eyebrows among members of the
Jackson County Area Chamber of
Commerce.
Scott Martin, chairman of
the Jackson County industrial
Development Authority, brought
up House Resolution 900 at last
Friday’s chamber board meeting.
Martin warned that approval of SR
900 by the General Assembly and,
subsequently by the voters, would
result in the loss “of all local control
over your tax dollars.”
The resolution would eliminate
virtually all taxes collected by school
boards and city and county govern
ments, replacing them with a 5.75
percent sales tax and a 5.75 percent
income tax. The sales tax would
apply not just to products, but to
services as well.
“Lots of our representatives are
signing on to this,” warned Jefferson
Mayor Jim Joyner.
Shannon Adams, superintendent
of schools, joined the chorus, saying
that from an educational standpoint,
the intent of the change is to bring all
school systems into parity - in terms
of dollars spent per student. Since
Jackson County spends $12,000 per
child and the state average is $7,800,
local education dollars stand to be
cut, he suggested.
Braselton Mayor Pat Graham,
who said the so-called “fair tax” is
“not the way to go,” and said the
proposal continues to change day
by day.
She also said that a study revealed
that the tax change would result in
$3.7 billion fewer dollars being gen
erated than are currently raised with
property taxes. To cover that, she
said, the bill’s author, Rep. Glenn
Richardson, proposes taxing busi
ness transactions — such as the
purchase of raw materials.
“State representatives are having
a hard time not supporting this,”
said Graham, because property own
ers like the idea of eliminating that
annual bill.
The tradeoff, she said, is that
Georgia citizens would begin pay
ing a state sales tax of 5.75 percent
on groceries, which are now exempt,
on prescription drugs, doctor’s visits
and countless other services that
currently are not taxed. They would
avoid the annual property tax bill,
but would find the cost of every
other purchase increased.
“The people who can least afford
this tax will be paying the brunt of it,”
Graham stated. “If he (Richardson)
gets 120 votes in the House, it goes
to the Senate. I’ve had senators tell
me if it goes to the Senate, it won’t
be stopped.”
“It’s being passed off as a tax
relief bill,” Martin noted. “It’s not a
tax relief bill. It’s a tax transfer bill.”
In other business, the chamber:
•heard Chairman Jim Yarborough
appoint a nominating committee
comprising Steve Schingler, Jeff
Blair, Roy Stowe, Keith Johnson
and Angela McKinney to come up
with a slate of 10 nominees for the
upcoming board election
•got a report from Howard Ledford
on the Certified Work Ready pro
gram, both at the county level and
at a regional level. The county has
received a grant to promote profiling
for certain jobs, including testing
to certify employees or prospec
tive employees as “work ready.”
Jackson and several other counties
have applied for a $500,000 grant
to target companies requiring “life
sciences” skills.
Commerce
Banks Crossing Pottery to close its doors Nov. 12
It’s official. The business that put Banks Crossing on
the map 24 years ago is closing.
“Nov. 12 will be the final day,” said Gilbert Martin,
general manager of The Pottery. There will be an auc
tion of any remaining inventory and assets on Dec. 12,
at 10:30 a.m., on the site.
It was back in 1983 when Gillsville’s Joe Craven
opened the first phase of what would eventually grow
to 378,000 square feet, raising eyebrows among doubt
ers who couldn’t imagine his plan working.
“If I remember correctly, there was nothing else here
but a McDonald’s, the Holiday Inn and a truck stop,”
said Martin of what is now the area’s retail center. “The
Pottery definitely was the start of Banks Crossing.”
The closing of The Pottery is by no means the end of
the story. A developer, who has yet to be named, and
Craven plan to redevelop the approximately 140 acres
that comprise The Pottery and a campground. And,
said Martin, Craven plans to open another store as part
of the development.
“I think his goal is to buy back some of it as kind of
an investment,” Martin said. “He plans to open a new
store, either in the fall of 2008 or spring of 2009. It’ll
be a new concept — he’s still working on that - but it’ll
sell pottery, home decor and lawn and garden items.”
The details, said Martin, continue to evolve.
Meanwhile, the remaining 70 employees of a busi
ness that at one time had 170, will be out of work.
Martin said he plans to ask the Department of Labor to
meet with employees in regard to career training.
Martin said he had “no idea” of what is planned for
the pottery, but Commerce officials said a developer
has made inquiries about utility services for hotel, res
taurant and retail development on the site.
The Gillsville Manufacturing Company, part of The
Pottery family, will remain open. It manufactures and
sells, mostly wholesale, concrete, plaster, fiberglass
and red clay pottery.
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Jackson County Tax Rates
200
City Tax
7 Millagi
JJountyTax*
3 Rates
LSchool Tax
LSchool Bond
State
Total
Incorporated Towns
Maysville**
3.1 &
10.57
13.9
3.10
.25
36.01
Pendergrass
3.00
10.32
13.9
3.10
.25
35.57
Jefferson
S.4&
9.59
13.24
3.3
.25
32.37
Braselton
11.20
13.9
3.10
.25
33.53
Hoschton
11.20
13.9
3.10
.25
33.53
Arcade
10.75
13.9
3.10
.25
33.00
Talmo
10.32
13.9
3.10
.25
32.57
Nicholson
10.30
13.9
3.10
.25
32.55
Commerce
1.06
9.59
17.75
0
.25
20.65
Unincorporated Areas
Arcade Area
10.75
13.9
3.10
.25
32.14
East Jackson Area
10.33
13.9
3.10
.25
32.58
Jackson Trail Area
9.60
13.9
3.10
.25
31.93
Maysville Area
9.71
13.9
3.10
.25
31.96
South Jackson Area
10.23
13.9
3.10
.25
32.49
West Jackson Area
10.42
13.9
3.10
.25
32.67
Nicholson Area
9.44
13.9
3.10
.25
31.ee
Harrisburg Area
10.2
13.9
3.10
.25
32.45
Plainview Area
10.39
13.9
3.10
.25
32.64
North Jackson Area
9.46
13.9
3.10
.25
31.71
*County tax tidadee fife district taxes.
"Meysviiie has not yet approved its city tax rate; tfie rata shown is last year's rata.
Maysville again tops tax list in Jackson Co.
If you live in the City of
Maysville, the tax bill you receive
in the mail this week may seem a
little heavy. Maysville again has
the dubious distinction of having
the highest combined property tax
rate of any location in Jackson
County.
With a combined millage rate
of 36.01 mills, Maysville was the
only tax area over 36 mills this
year. Still, Maysville’s rate was
lower than last year’s combined
rate.
Overall, tax rates across the
county were down about one-half
a mill.
Jackson County has one of the
most complex tax structures in
the state with a plethora of tax
districts, including a number of
independent county fire districts
that set their own rates. In addi
tion, there are three school sys
tems which set their own rates
and four towns which have city
tax rates.
Meanwhile, officials said
Jefferson property owners would
see all their city and county taxes
on one bill this year rather than
two bills. The county is now doing
the billing for Jefferson.
Jackson Co. manager candidates narrowed to three
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners
has narrowed its search for a new county manager
to the top three candidates. The BOC met Monday
to interview the three before it makes a final deci
sion.
The top three candidates for the position
are: Stan Brown, currently the city manager at
Oakwood; Richard Hampton, county administrator
for Stephens County; and Robert Zellner, county
manager of Upson County.
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