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AUGUST 11 2024 • VOLUME 30 NUMBER 8
www.starnewsgaonline.com
Georgia’s First Lady visits Carrollton Kiwanis Club
Georgia’s First Lady Marty Kemp was guest speaker, Carrollton
Kiwanis Club, Wed., July 31, at Carroll EMC main office. An informal
“Fireside Chat” was held between Kemp (left) and Kiwanian Sandra
Morris (right). An informed and engaged speaker, Kemp spoke on
many topics including mental health issues, human trafficking/GRACE
Commission, farming, MATCH, and the pandemic. Photo by Sue Horn
County property taxes increase $340M from higher
property assessments allowing county school board
to reduce millage rate from 17.00 to 16.259 mils
from press release
Carroll County Board of Education
has tentatively approved a full millage
rate rollback lor county property
owners after seeing another large
increase in assessed values this year.
Property assessments are conducted
by the Carroll County Board of
Commissioners.
County tax digest increased almost
S340 million, allowing the BOE to
reduce the school tax millage rate from
17 mills to 16.259 mills. This marks the
third consecutive annual millage rate
cut from the school board.
The new millage rate represents
about a S100 savings in one year for the
average Carroll County homeowner.
BOE Chainnan Bryant Turner said,
“The board really wanted to make sure
that we can give this tax relief to citizens
while maintaining premier learning
opportunities for our students and the
right support to our staff. This requires
good stewardship of the resources we
have, and we are so thankful we can do
this for the people of Carroll County.”
See MIL REDUCTION page 17
Commission discusses Agriculture Land
Easement program: limit non-ag uses
County continues to collect more revenue than needed to meet expenses
with current revenues over expenditures are now at $7,224,824 ($7.22M)
by Janice Daniel
Carroll County Board of Commissioners met for their monthly work session
Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. All were present with the exception of
District 1 Commissioner Montrell McClendon.
Dee Perry, executive director of the Georgia Agricultural Land Trust, was there
to discuss the Agricultural Land Easement program of agricultural conservation.
Its purpose is to help private and tribal land owners, land trusts, and other entities
See COMMISSION AG LAND page 7
Villa Rica city manager turmoil comes to a close with Tom Barber finally ousted
and past mayor/deputy city manager Jeff Reese returning on an interim agreement
by Wayne J. Reynolds
The Villa Rica city government has been beset with controversy and
conflict since the November 2023 mayoral election of Leslie McPherson
who defeated one-tenn Gil McDougal in a landslide runoff victory on
December 5 th. Seven days later on December 12th, Mayor McDougal
presented - and all five council members voted for - a resolution to
investigate McPherson for malfeasance. This
accusation later proved to be malicious, false,
and costly to McPherson.
The city manager, Tom Barber, stated
publicly he would not work with the incoming
T _„ ,,. , , mayor who would be sworn in early January
1 a lea ayor 2024. Barber immediately hired McDougal
in as a deputy city manager. Many citizens
voiced their shared opinion as that this was a
slap in the face of the election process. After a several months long and
costly struggle between Barber and varying members of the council who
wanted McDougal gone, McDougal was removed from the position.
But the open animosity, repeated uproar at council meetings, and heated
public debate between citizens and some council members continued as
it became apparent that Barber was not going to fulfill the obligations
of his public job. It was revealed that Barber had not been sharing city
See REESE RETURNS page 4
“Jeff is the perfect
person for the job.
He is a fixer and
he loves the city.. ”
- Villa Rica Mayo
Leslie McPherson
by Janice Daniel
In a Special Called Meeting of the Mayor & Council of the City of
Villa Rica held June 26, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., with all Council Members
present, Mayor Leslie McPherson presented an employment agreement
between the City of Villa Rica and Jeff Reese, a past city mayor. Reese
accepted the position of Interim City Manager after the firing of acting
Reese’s six month
contract became
effective June 17,
City Manager Tom Barber during the June 11,
2024 council meeting with a vote of 3-2.
Barber has been at the center of controversy
since he decided to align himself with fonner
. vu ma Y or Gil McDougal during last year’s mayoral
J run-on which elected tormer council member
salary of $15,000 Leslie McPherson as the city’s new mayor. With
plus benefits. citizens demanding that Barber be removed, the
issue went all the way to the Georgia Legislature
and governor to give Mayor McPherson authority to fire Barber. But
then some legalities were brought forward about Barber’s contract of
employment with the City of Villa Rica since he was hired before the new
legislation was approved, and the City would have to buy out Barber’s
remaining months to the end of his contract.
During the June 11th, 2024 regular meeting, Mayor McPherson told
council that she had a someone willing and able to take the position of
See BARBER FINALLY FIRED page 5
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