Newspaper Page Text
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Mill Creek, West Jackson and Barrow County
Wednesday, November 19,2008
Vol. 4 No. 31 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
20 pages, 2 sections
Inside
Features
Tour of Homes
Some of Chateau Elan’s
largest houses are open for
a tour that benefits a chil
dren’s shelter. See 12A
News
Town Hall Talks
Upcoming road projects
were some of the top talk
ing points during a town
hall meeting with Jackson
County Commissioner
Bruce Yates. See 3A
Sports
Winning Plans
Lady Panthers look for
improvement in new sea
son. See 1B
Editorial
‘Two years old and grow
ing’ See 4A
Public Safety
Police: Homeless men
used to cash fake checks
at Braselton bank See 6A
Church News 10A
Obituaries 9A
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on the table
City property taxes back
Hearings set Thursday to discuss Hoschton budget
By Kerri Testement
kern @ mainstreetnews. com
A vocal group of Hoschton citizens and business
owners is sending a message to the council — no city
property taxes.
But one of two proposed 2009 budgets at city hall
calls for a city property tax in Hoschton — the first
such tax levied by the council in about 30 years.
Hoschton has set three state-mandated public hear
ings on the two proposed budgets.
Public hearings will be held on Thursday, Nov. 20,
at 9 a.m. and at 6:30 p.m.; and on Thursday, Dec. 4, at
9 a.m., at city hall.
The council is also expected to discuss the budget
during its work session on Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. and adopt
the budget on Monday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.
At city hall, there are two proposed 2009 budgets
— one for $785,560 with no city property tax and the
other for $950,279 with a city property tax.
The budget with a proposed city property tax
includes a 3.25 millage rate. At one point, the council
was considering a budget with a 2.0 millage rate, but
later dropped that proposal.
A flier distributed throughout the city this week
warns that homeowners would pay an additional $200
to $300 in taxes, if the council approves a city property
tax.
The unsigned flier adds that some council members
“are ignoring earlier assurances made to the public
and have the audacity to support an even higher mill-
age rate than was previously discussed.”
“Some council members are literally thumbing their
noses at the public by proceeding with the tax plan
after hearing the opposition and outrage from hun
dreds of citizens,” the flier continues. “When did these
council members collaborate or meet to develop and
submit the new property tax plan?”
Council member Jim Jester has been a vocal oppo
nent of any proposal to raise city property taxes, espe-
Opposition to City Taxes
Signs at the former Luna’s Coffeehouse in
downtown Hoschton urge the city council to
not pass any proposed city property taxes.
cially during tough economic times.
“I think this is irresponsible for us to do this,” Jester
See Taxes 3A
A parade of tractors
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Waving to Spectators
Participants in a parade of tractors wave to spectators on Saturday morning.
Hoschton hosted an annual tractor show that featured vintage and unique tractors
from the region. For more photos, see page 3B. Photo by Kerri Testement
Lawsuit against Braselton tossed
Judge says developers lawyers tried to ‘defraud the court’
Project Center of Lawsuit
Century Center at Braselton is located on Ga. Hwy. 211
in Barrow County. The project will include high-end
retail and office space on 26 acres.
Barrow County Judge
David Motes has dismissed
a 2007 lawsuit filed against
the Town of Braselton by the
developers of a high-profile
commercial project on Hwy.
211, saying the developer’s
lawyers had engaged in judi
cial “misconduct.”
Motes dismissed the law
suit last month after Century
Center at Braselton failed to
pay $18,000 in attorney fees
to the Town of Braselton.
The judge ruled in July that
lawyers for Century Center,
Barry Armstrong and Jeremy
Moeser, had “knowingly and
willfully present an inaccu
rate and false survey to the
Court in an effort to defraud
the Court and to subvert jus
tice and to gain an unfair
advantage in the case.”
Saying the lawyers also used
“sleight of hand” in eliciting
testimony from one witness,
Motes ordered in July the
payment of fees to the city by
the developers.
But the fees were never
paid by Century Center or
its affiliate firms, leading
to the October dismissal of
the case. Century Center at
Braselton, which is located
in Barrow County on Hwy.
211 at Beaver Dam Road just
south of the 1-85 interchange,
is owned by Dick and Chris
Gray.
The litigation between
Century Center and Braselton
goes back nearly two years
after the developers object
ed to some town-mandated
infrastructure improvements
along Hwy. 211, saying the
road might be widened in the
future thereby tearing out the
improvements.
But Braselton leaders
refused to give Century Center
a variance and the develop
ers sued Braselton in January
2007, saying the property
had not been annexed cor
rectly into the city. The move
was apparently an attempt
to withdraw from Braselton's
overlay district requirements,
which the firm objected to
following.
The court's dismissal
revolves around an April 2007
hearing at which Braselton
said lawyers for Century
Center had “perpetrated a
fraud upon the Court” with
misleading testimony. The
judge agreed in July with
that argument and ordered the
firm to reimburse the town's
legal expenses, or face having
the case dismissed.
Century Center is slated to
feature high-end retail and
office space on 26 acres.
YMCA pitches ideas
for Hoschton project
By Kerri Testement
kerri @ mainstreetnews. coni
The YMCA wants to open
a facility in West Jackson
— and a mixed-use project in
Hoschton seems to be the per
fect spot, according to those in
favor of the project.
Kurt Stringfellow — presi
dent and CEO of the YMCA
of Georgia's Piedmont — said
he noticed on his weekly drives
to a Braselton church that a
59-acre project on Ga. Hwy. 53
in Hoschton would be the right
spot for a YMCA.
“We’re very active in pursu
ing a YMCA in this area,” said
Stringfellow, who contacted
the project's developers about
donating land for a YMCA.
Hoschton Properties, LLC is
developing Creekside Village
— a mixed-use project next to
West Jackson Primary School
that will include 144 residen
tial lots, and retail space.
But to make it possible to
donate land to the YMCA, the
company said it needs a finan
cial tradeoff.
The company is asking the
city to approve several chang
es to its zoning conditions,
including converting several
lots designated for detached
houses in exchange for 12
townhouses.
“We have to make the bank
happy to even get the YMCA
done,” said Chad Stewart, a
representative for the compa
ny.
And while the Hoschton
Planning Commission voiced
its support for the proposed
YMCA on Monday, it didn’t
favor plans to include town-
houses in the development.
“My biggest concern tonight
is those townhouses,” said
planning commission member
Doug Easter, who added that
townhouses would probably
attract too many renters to the
city.
The planning commis
sion recommended that the
requested zoning conditions be
changed, except for the town-
houses.
The Hoschton City Council
will discuss the planning com
mission’s recommendations on
Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.,
and is expected to vote on the
proposal on Monday, Dec. 8,
at 7 p.m.
After the vote, Stewart
emphasized that without town-
houses in the project to off
set costs for donating land to
the YMCA, the deal may fall
through.
“I just know if we can’t make
the numbers work, the Y won’t
happen,” he said.
See YMCA 3A
Jackson County foreclosures
up 92 percent for the year
Foreclosures in Jackson for foreclosures was the cur-
County climbed steeply in
2008 nearly doubling over the
previous year. Jackson will
finish the year in December
with 96 foreclosures on the
agenda.
For the year, Jackson had
1,051 foreclosures, up 503
from 2007, a 92 percent jump.
The rate may not have hit
bottom yet. The largest quarter
rent quarter when 313 foreclo
sures have been processed in
the county. The third quarter
saw 278 foreclosures.
The rise in foreclosures
began in September 2007 when
the average number doubled
from the previous month and
tripled from the year before.
The trend has been steadily
moving up since that time.
Jackson County Foreclosures
Quarter
2006
2007
2008
1st Qtr.
109
114
259
2nd Qtr.
79
124
201
3rd Qtr.
88
148
278
4th Qtr.
104
162
313
Totals
380
548
1,051
