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www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com
Your only locally-owned community newspaper
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Mill Creek, West Jackson and Barrow County
Wednesday, October 1,2008
Vol. 4No. 24 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.comwww.BarrowJournal.com
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
18 pages, 2 sections
Inside
Festival Fun
Amid the scarecrows, plenty
of guests enjoy Hoschton’s
fall festival. See 10A
News
Big Fine
The Winder Housing
Authority pays a fine to set
tle a discrimination lawsuit.
See 2A
End of Burn Ban
Today marks the end of an
outdoor burn ban for area
counties.
See 2A
Sports
Hard hit
Panthers’ starting quarter
back injured in game.
See 1B
Editorial
‘Hoschton leaders need
backbone on spending’
See 4A
Public Safety
Man bangs on bar door,
insisting it’s ‘home’
See 6A
Church News 8A
Obituaries 8B
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Hoschton considering city property tax
Citizens will be asked about taxes at town hall meeting
By Kerri Testement
kerri@mainstreetnews. com
The effort to balance Hoschton’s
troubled budget for 2009 has reached
a final option — start a property tax or
cut city jobs.
Hoschton’s fiscal resources commit
tee has been struggling to trim expenses
from its proposed 2009 budget, while
finding ways to increase revenue.
The latest budget — which accounts
for a number of fee increases — shows
expenses reaching $1.05 million, while
revenue tops $854,160.
That leaves almost $200,000 in the
city’s general fund budget without a
means to fund it.
Council member Tom Walden said
the budget also been cut several times,
including the elimination of several
proposed city jobs. City employees will
also not be getting a pay raise, as was
recently proposed.
“The only way we can balance the
budget is to have a tax,” Walden said
on Monday.
Jackson County tax records for 2008
show Hoschton has property valued at
$139 million in its city limits, Walden
said. Of that amount that can be taxed,
Hoschton could collect an estimated
$223,549 in city taxes with 4 mills.
For property valued at $200,000, a
property owner would pay $320 a year
in taxes.
“This would cover our budget short
fall, plus give us a reserve,” Walden
said.
Walden said if Hoschton had enacted
a 1-2 mill city property tax 20 years ago,
it would have an estimated $3 million in
reserve funding available to balance the
budget. By state law, governments must
present a balanced budget or dip into
reserve funds.
“The problem is we don’t have a
reserve,” Walden said. “We haven’t had
a reserve for 28 years.”
And Hoschton hasn’t had a city prop
erty tax in 30 years, either. The city
stopped collecting property taxes when
it started earning revenue from alcohol
See Budget 2A
The road to racing
Last-Minute Work
A car for Team Euro International gets some last minute mechanical work on Tuesday, before
the start of the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton. Photos by Lyn Sengupta
Petit Le Mans starts this week
Practice Time
Paul Tracy of Forsythe Petit Racing drives at Road
Atlanta on Tuesday.
Braselton bank
robber found guilty
‘Trigga ’ robbed two banks in 2007
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. coni
It’s the biggest race in
Braselton — and one of the
premier racing events in the
world.
The 11th Annual Petit
Le Mans kicks off today
(Wednesday) and continues
through its signature event
on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Road
Atlanta in Braselton.
That’s when an estimated
40 world-class vehicles racing
more than 200 mph compete on
the 2.54-mile course. The Petit
Le Mans is the 10-hour/1,000
mile signature event of the
American Le Mans Series,
which is based in Braselton.
Last year, an estimated
106,000 race fans visited the
racetrack on Ga. Hwy. 53 in
South Hall. Tickets to this
year’s event have been selling
at a record pace, according to
Road Atlanta’s website.
Ticket prices at the gate
range from $85 for a four-day
pass to $65 for a one-day pass.
Infield parking for cars, trucks
and vans is $40. External park
ing in designated areas is free.
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. com
The Jackson County School
System has lost its appeal of
a designation saying one of its
schools failed to meet Adequate
Yearly Progress (AYP).
The Georgia Department of
Education announced Tuesday
that 241 schools that didn’t
initially meet AYP in July later
Night-time practice racing
will be held from 7:15-9 p.m.
on Thursday.
Friday’s activities include
final American Le Mans
Series qualifying. Saturday’s
race starts at 11:15 a.m.
Saturday’s race also
marks the inaugural “Green
Challenge,” a partnership
between the American Le Mans
Series, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S.
Department of Energy and
SAE International.
The challenge encourages
manufacturers to introduce and
made AYP after a final report
was available or an appeal was
approved.
The Jackson County School
System was appealing a deci
sion that Jackson County
Comprehensive High School
didn’t meet AYP, due to its
graduation rate.
The state department of edu
cation listed JCCHS’s gradu
ation rate as 67.4 percent in
develop their “green” technol
ogies that will be featured at
the Petit Le Mans, according
to Road Atlanta.
The Lighthouse Family
Retreat is the official charity
of the Petit Le Mans, which
contributed a total of $33,500
through several events in
2006. The Lighthouse Family
Retreat offers a seaside vaca
tion for families of children
battling cancer.
For more information on
the Petit Le Mans, or tickets,
call 1-800-849-RACE or visit
www.roadatlanta.com.
2008. High schools need a
graduation rate of at least 70
percent to make AYP.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams has said the appeal cen
tered on the fact that JCCHS’s
graduation rate includes stu
dents from East Jackson
Comprehensive High School,
which opened in August 2007.
See AYP 5A
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. com
A Dacula man tied to two
armed robberies in Braselton
last year has been found guilty.
A jury in federal district court
returned a guilty verdict on
Thursday against Souksakhone
Phaknikone — also known as
“Trigga” — on seven counts
of armed bank robbery, seven
counts of use of a firearm dur
ing the commission of the
armed bank robberies, and one
count of being a convicted felon
in possession of a firearm.
Phaknikone, 26, was convict
ed on all counts of the indict
ment after the jury deliberated
approximately five hours.
The evidence at trial proved
that on seven separate occa
sions, “Trigga” robbed banks
wearing a ski mask, hoodie,
gloves and carrying a semi
automatic firearm, according to
U.S. Attorney David Nahmias.
In each robbery, “Trigga”
vaulted the teller counter and
personally grabbed the cash.
Although he went to great
lengths to conceal his iden
tity, investigators recognized
his signature actions, including
jumping the counter in each of
his robberies.
And at two armed robberies
By Kristi Reed
reedkl @ gmail.com
County employees will be
feeling the pinch from Barrow’s
struggling economy in the
upcoming year.
Salary increases, merit raises
and cost of living adjustments
for all county employees have
been eliminated from next
year’s budget.
The cuts resulted from chang
es made to the original 2009
budget.
After commissioners rejected
a proposed stormwater util
ity fee and reinstated $45,000
in funding for the Industrial
Building Authority, the budget
was thrown out of balance as
projected expenditures grew to
exceed revenues by $441,900.
Tuesday night, Chief
Administrator Keith Lee pre-
j ’
Bank Robber
A photo released by law
enforcement officials in
2007 shows the suspect of
an armed bank robbery in
Braselton.
at Braselton banks, the suspect
also jumped on the counters.
“Trigga” robbed People’s
Bank on Ga. Hwy. 211 in
Braselton on Jan. 31, 2007.
Two weeks later, he robbed
Hometown Community Bank
on Ga. Hwy. 53.
Shortly after the two rob
beries, the Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office said it believed
that the same suspect commit
ted both crimes based on the
robber’s technique and descrip
tion. The Peoples Bank in
Braselton is located in Barrow
County.
sented a modified budget pro
posal.
In order to balance the bud
get, county employees will now
go without an increase in pay
and property owners will pay a
reduced stormwater utility fee.
In the original budget, the
stormwater utility fee would
have added an additional
$690,000 to county coffers.
The funds were to be used to
manage the county’s stormwa
ter infrastructure.
After several commission
ers expressed a reluctance to
implement the fee, county
financial planners were forced
to determine an alternative
method of funding state man
dated repairs and maintenance
of the county’s storm drains
and retention ponds.
See Pay 5A
More from Barrow County: School
board looking at private sewer for
new middle school. See 3A
School system’s AYP appeal denied by state
See Robber 5A
Barrow County cuts pay
raises from 2009 budget
