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CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA'S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED / LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER
How is the 2nd Amendment faring in the
state of Georgia? - see story beginning page 4
Also, The Birches At Villa Rica - a new
concept in senior living - see story page 6
1
MARCH 14, 2021 • VOLUME 27 NUMBER 3
StarNews monthly traditional print publication/ StarNews Online daily local news
Quarry developer to proceed with
lawsuit against county after appeals
board upholds zoning certificate denial
Question hangs as to who asked for what and when?
by Sue Horn
Although the Carroll County government
prevailed at the Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, hear
ing with a vote by the board of appeals to
uphold the decision to deny Green Rock, LLC
the zoning necessary to proceed with a quarry
as a commercial aggragate facility in the
Whitesburg area, the battle is far from over.
The county has answered Green Rock’s 18
page lawsuit, and begun the discovery process,
a pre-trial procedure to obtain evidence from
both parties through document requests and
interrogations of involved persons, usually an
expensive process.
It became evident at the February three and
a half hour hearing that the case will hinge on
the basic question of ‘who asked for what and
when?’ Followed with the question: at what
point in time did it become officially known to
the county of Green Rock’s complete and full
intentions for the property?
See QUARRY LAWSUIT page 12
Two Lions Clubs join efforts to host a community
diabetes and testing event Saturday, March 27th
Shown above left to right are Lions Club members Doyle Akins, District Governor
Tom Jackson, Club President Joe Harris, and
from press release
A “Diabetes Testing and Education Event”
with a diabetes friendly lunch will be open to
the community with registration on Eventbrite.
The event is sponsored by Carrollton and Villa
Rica Golden City Lions Clubs with a grant
Event Coordinator Karen Wild.
through Lions Clubs International Foundation.
It will be held on Saturday, March 27th at the
Carrollton Center for the Arts, downtown
Carrollton, from 12-3:00 p.m. The sponsoring
partner providing the testing is the University
See LION CLUBS page 8
County reaches out to residents
as SPLOST vote nears: March 16
2021 $119M SPLOST: Will county residents get ad-min building this go round?
by Brandon Kerr
Carroll County District 2
Commissioner Clint Chance held two
town hall meetings in February to dis
cuss the county’s upcoming SPLOST
vote, which will be held on March 16th.
The first meeting was held at Fairfield
Recreation Center and the second was
broadcast live on Facebook from Villa
Rica Public library. The second meeting
can be viewed on Chance’s Facebook
page: www.facebook.com/clint.chance.7/
videos/10103723770835658
Chance, along with county Communi
cations Director Ashley Hulsey, extolled
the benefits of SPLOST, presenting a
laundry list of projects the tax has helped
support, as well as ways funds might be
spent in the future.
The one cent Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax, if renewed, is
County voters passed the 2015
SPLOST in 2013 that included
a new or remodeled administration
building and accompanying
parking area: money was
collected, but spent elsewhere
Will residents get admin building
and parking with newest SPLOST?
expected to bring an additional esti
mated $119 million dollars into the local
economy to be split between the county
and cities contained therein. These funds
are tagged for specific projects that are
not typically covered by tax revenue.
Some purposes for which SPLOST has
been used in the past are public safety
purchases, road improvements, as well
as Parks and Recreation projects.
See NEXT SPLOST page 11
Carrollton City Council and Mayor hear
2020 audit: $1.4M increase in revenues
Unassigned General Fund Balance (cash reserves) at $13,848,357
which gives city a surplus 6.3 months “rainy day” fund
by Brandon Kerr
The Carrollton Financial Audit for fis
cal year 2020 was presented before the
council and mayor at their monday,
March 1st meeting. The audit was pre
sented by representative of the city’s
audit firm, Rushton & Co., Chris
Hollifield. In attendance at the meeting
were Mayor Betty B. Cason, Ward 1
member and Mayor Pro Tern, Jacqulene
Bridges, Ward 2 member, Brett
Ledbetter, Ward 3 member, Jim Waters,
and Ward 4 member, Bob Uglum. All
council members, as well as the mayor,
were wearing masks.
Hollifield explained that the city’s net
position (total assets less liabilities) was
at $198,953,419 at the end of Fiscal Year
2020 and that revenues over expenses
totaled $3,615,115, a $1.4 million
increase over last year.
Hollifield went on to state that the city
held an Unassigned General Fund (cash
reserves) Balance of $13,848,357,
which amounts to roughly 6.3 months of
operating expenses, surpassing a recom
mended 3-4 months of operating
reserves, which he classified as “a very
healthy place for the city to be”.
Mayor Cason praised her staff for
their financial aptitude, which has
See CARROLLTON COUNCIL page 8
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