Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Referendum cont. from 1A
the board only received a
copy of the referendum just
before its 8:30 a.m. board
meeting.
The Jackson County
Board of Education held a
called meeting earlier that
morning at 7 a.m. to call for
the SPLOST referendum.
Both the Jefferson City
BOE and Commerce City
BOE are expected to make
their votes later this month
at their regular board meet
ings.
While the elections board
delayed action on calling
for the March voting, it
only did so after Republi
can board member Larry
Ewing voiced opposition to
the matter, saying the vote
should have been held with
November’s General Elec
tion.
“They want their own
special election and I need
to understand that,” he said.
Elections board chairman
Eric Crawford suggest
ed that the March special
election call is a strategic
move by the school systems
to help get the measure
passed.
“If I were a school board
and I wanted something
passed, I’d make sure there
was an election with a very
low turnout where my peo
ple who want it come to the
polls,” Crawford said.
Ewing also complained
about the cost of the coun
ty having to hold a special
election when it could have
been done with an existing
vote process.
“They don’t care what it
cost to run an election,” he
said.
He also complained about
the SPLOST idea in gener
al.
“We’ve closed down three
or four schools and we want
more money to build more.”
he said. “We want our own
special election to do that. I
have a problem with that, a
serious problem.”
Jackson County School
System superintendent
April Howard said the
SPLOST funds are needed
to help pay for infrastruc
ture in the growing school
system.
“SPLOST is the primary
revenue source for the con
struction of new schools
and debt service,” she said.
“Without SPLOST. any new
facilities, additions, and
improvements become the
burden of the local proper
ty owners through property
tax collections.”
Both the county and Jef
ferson school systems have
pressing needs for new
schools and expansions due
to population growth. Both
systems have held meetings
recently to begin the pro
cess of those projects.
NOVEMBER
VOTING CERTIFIED
In other business, the
elections board voted 4-1 to
certify the county’s Nov. 3
elections results.
Board member Jeff
Hughes, a Republican rep
resentative on the board was
the lone dissenting vote.
During a discussion pre
ceding the vote, Hughes
asked a number of ques
tions about the elections
process and how signatures
are matched to absentee
ballots.
Nationally, some Repub
licans have alleged fraud in
the election after President
Donald Trump was defeat
ed.
Trump carried Jackson
County with around 79% of
the vote.
Hughes didn’t criticize
the county elections process
and praised local elections
officials for their work.
He didn’t give a reason
for not voting to certify the
county’s election results,
something that is typically
a routine matter.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, county
elections manager Jennifer
Logan gave an update about
the plans for the upcoming
Jan. 5 runoff for two U.S.
Senate seats and a PSC seat
in the state. She said her of
fice had received a number
of absentee ballot requests
so far.
Logan also said her of
fice is working on a backup
plan for Jan. 5 in case an ice
storm or other bad weather
makes opening polls diffi
cult.
Vote continued from 1A
will be held Dec. 14-31, Mondays through Fri
days, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the county elec
tions office. 233 East Broad St., Winder. There
will be no Saturday voting, and the elections of
fice will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day, Dec. 24-25, and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1.
GWINNETT COUNTY
Eligible voters may vote advance in person
every day, including weekends, from December
14-31 at the following locations. (There is no
voting on December 24 and 25.)
•Gwinnett Voter Registrations & Elections
Beauty P. Baldwin Building, 455 Grayson
Hwy., Suite 200, Lawrenceville, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Bogan Park Community Recreation Center,
2723 North Bogan Rd., Buford, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Lenora Park Gym, 4515 Lenora Church Rd.,
Snellville, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
•Dacula Park Activity Building, 2735 Old
Auburn Rd., Dacula, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
•Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation
Center, 4651 Britt Rd., Norcross, 7 a.m. to
7 p.m.
• George Pierce Park Community Recreation
Center, 55 Buford Hwy., Suwanee, 7 a.m. to
7 p.m.
• Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugar-
loaf Pkwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30045 7:00am
to 7:00pm
•Mountain Park Activity Building, 1063
Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain, 7 a.m. to
7 p.m.
• Shorty Howell Park Activity Building. 2750
Pleasant Hill Rd., Duluth. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
HALL COUNTY
The Hall County Elections Board recently ap
proved plans to hold early voting for three weeks
beginning Dec. 14.
Ballots may be cast weekdays from 8 a.m. to
6 p.m. at any of the following locations:
•City of Gainesville Downtown Building
(old Turner, Wood and Smith Building) — 100
Brenau Ave„ Gainesville.
• East Hall Community Center—3911P. Da
vidson Rd., Gainesville.
• North Hall Community Center—4175 No-
pone Rd., Gainesville.
•Spout Springs Library — 6488 Spout
Springs Rd., Flowery Branch.
There will be no voting on Dec. 24, Dec. 25
or Jan. 1 in observance of the Christmas and
New Year’s holidays. The last day to vote early,
in-person will be Thursday, Dec. 31.
“Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will con
tinue to adhere to the health safety guidelines
outlined by the CDC. State of Georgia and
White House.” said Elections Director Lori
Wurtz. “This will include frequent cleaning of
voting machines and adherence to social dis
tancing guidelines. Voters are highly encouraged
to wear a mask at the precinct.”
Voters returning absentee ballots may utilize
the two ballot drop boxes that were previously
available during the General Election. One is
located at the Hall County Government Cen
ter (2875 Browns Bridge Rd., Gainesville, GA
30504) and the other is located at Spout Springs
Library (6488 Spout Springs Rd., Flowery
Branch, GA 30542).
JACKSON COUNTY
Early voting in Jackson County will be at the
county’s election’s office on Gordon Street in
Jefferson starting Dec. 14.
Early voting will be from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
weekdays Dec. 14-18; Dec. 21-23; and Dec.
28-31.
Saturday early voting will be held Dec. 19
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Election day on Jan. 5 will be held at the
county’s four locations: Central Jackson at
Hope Crossing Church in Jefferson; North
Jackson at Mt. Olive Church in Commerce;
West Jackson at Free Chapel in Braselton; and
South Jackson at Southside Church.
Absentee ballots are available now by going
to the Georgia Secretary of State website and
downloading a request form. Absentee ballots
may be mailed to the county elections office,
or put in one of the county’s three drop boxes:
The county elections office at 441 Gordon St.;
Nicholson City Hall; or West Jackson Fire De
partment.
Hoschton continued from 1A
Butler’s development might have on flood
ing further downstream.
After a lengthy discussion on the matter,
the board voted to table action on the vari
ance request until January and have Butler
come to that meeting to explain how he
wants to develop the property.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the board approved a
preliminary plant for 300 townhouses off
of Town Center Parkway. The project got
initial approval in October 2018 and was
expanded in April 2019.
Rockwood Homes is preparing to build
the townhouses.
The planning board approved the plat
with several conditions, including a re
quirement that developers pay 50% of the
project’s sewer connection fees up front.
The board also approved:
• two variances for property owned by
the Jackson County Board of Education
for city water tower sites.
• a variance for property owned by Keith
Hayes Construction for a water tower site.
• a rezoning for Eddie Butler on proper
ty along New Street from R-2 to R-3 for
two single-family homes.
Smell Gas? Act Fast!
Natural gas is a colorless and odorless fuel. For safety reasons, a chemical odorant called
mercaptan is added for easy detection of a suspected natural gas leak. This odorant has a
distinctive "rotten egg" type odor. Natural gas odors should be reported immediately.
ctiay olor a gas? jActue rapido! El gas natural es un combustible incoloro e inodoro. Por razones de seguridad, se le agrega
un aromatlzante qufmico llamado mercaptano para que se pueda detectar facllmente. Este aromatlzante tiene un olor
caracterfstico a “huevo podrldo." Los olores a gas natural deben Informarse de Inmediato.
• Do not try to locate the source of the smell.
No Intente locallzar la fuente del olor.
• Leave the area immediately and alert others.
Abandone el area Inmediatamentey alerte a los demas.
• Avoid using any sources of ignition, such as cell
phones, cigarettes, matches, flashlights, electronic
devices, motorized vehicles, light switches or landlines.
Evlte usar cualquler fuente de ignlcion, por ejemplo, telefonos celulares,
clgarrlllos, fosforos, llnternas, aparatos electronlcos, vehiculos a motor,
interruptores de luz o telefonos fijos.
• Call Atlanta Gas Light at 877.427.4321 or 911 once you
are out of the area and in a safe place.
Llame a Atlanta Gas Light at 877.427.4321 o al 911 una vez que este fuera del
area y en un lugar seguro.
© 2020 Southern Company Gas. All rights reserved. AGL-20003
If you detect even a small amount
of this odor in the air:
Si detecta este olor en el aire, por mmimo que sea: