Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
UPSON
BEACON
ig Lights Raping «atcn on
Page 5A
BOE Begins 2025 Budget Talks
Public Hearings Set June u, 25
Andrew Carroll
Sports Editor
acarroll@upsonbeacon.com
At a work session on
Tuesday, May 21 the Thom-
aston-Upson Board of Edu
cation unveiled the first
draft of the Fiscal Year 2025
budget.
With inflation and
spending at an all-time
high, board member Jaye
Eubanks stated that the
board was intent on trying
to reign in its spending. This
comes as ESSER Funds
have run dry and the board
is looking at taking several
projects back into the fold.
Member Stephen Sadler
raised concerns about those
projects being paid for by
local funds, stating that
those projects had not been
in place before ESSER
Funding, and asked if sev
eral projects could be re
moved to limit spending.
To that end, Upson
County taxpayers could feel
some relief in the upcoming
fiscal year. The new budget
is built upon a millage rate
°f 1.3-59 mills, 0.4 mills less
than the 14.01-mill budgets
from the last two years. The
13.59 millage rate is the sec
ond lowest since 2018, fol
lowing 2022 which
numbered 13.21.
However, the amount
per mill increased from FY
2024, going up from
$9 2 5,799 P er mill to
$981,481 in FY 25.
The 14.01 mills number
is not incidental. The board
had established that
number to continue Equal
ization Grant funding which
amounted to more than $4
million dollars last year.
The first stage of the
budget sits at a grand total
of $52,748,762, which is a
decrease of $677,000 from
last year.
With the rate, the board
looks to bring in
$13,004,869 in property
taxes for the general fund,
with another $5.1 million in
sales taxes going to the cap
ital projects budget.
A large chunk of the de
crease of the budget comes
from student transporta
tion, which is planned to de
crease $1.1 million. A grant
that the board applied for
last year paid for 12 new
buses and the board does
not plan any new purchases
this year.
The board will continue
to work and adjust the
budget, and the public will
get two opportunities to
speak at public hearings.
The first public hearing
is scheduled for June 11 at 6
p.m. The second opportu
nity is set for June 25 at
7:30 a.m. with final adop
tion expected immediately
after.
Volunteers take on home modification projects. Submitted
Area Agency on Aging
Celebrates New Home
Mods, Invites Volunteers
The Three Rivers Re
gional Commission’s Area
Agency on Aging, in a col
laborative effort with the
Newnan-based nonprofit
RiverLife, is proud to an
nounce the successful com
pletion of multiple home
modification projects this
year.
Thirteen additional home
modification projects
throughout Carroll, Coweta,
Lamar, Meriwether, Spald
ing, and Upson counties have
been funded and approved,
and are now awaiting assign
ments and volunteers.
The Home Modification
Program has already com
pleted 11 projects in 2024.
Most recently, the TRRC
Aging Division recently com
pleted a vital ramp installa
tion project in Meriwether
County for a single woman in
her mid-70s named Brenda
who lives with her dog and
cats. Despite being in good
health, Brenda experienced
several falls while taking out
her garbage.
“Brenda came to us last
fall through a referral from
her doctor, and during our
screening, we identified sev
eral services she needed, in
cluding a home ramp,”
TRRC Executive Director
Mark Butler commented.
“She was placed on the Riv
erLife waitlist in September,
and thanks to our and River-
Life’s dedicated volunteers
and employees, the ramp
was completed in April. The
project has significantly im
proved Brenda's safety and
quality of life and, most im
portantly, her ability to live
independently in her own
home."
RiverLife’s mission is to
transform lives by equipping
volunteers to grow deep in
compassion and reach wide
in service to others through
community outreach. It part
ners with nonprofits and
other organizations in the
community to identify
people in need of yard
cleanup, exterior home re
pair, and wheelchair ramp
access. The RiverLife team
coordinates and leads these
opportunities for volunteers
to create a meaningful ex
perience for those serving
and to safely and respectfully
meet the needs of those
served.
TRRC is currently seek
ing volunteer groups, includ
ing corporate teams and
individuals, to help complete
these "ready-for-assign-
ment" projects. Ready for as
signment status means those
projects are funded,
screened, and approved.
Construction management
and materials are supplied by
TRRC. No construction skill
sets are necessary for a group
to adopt one of these ready
for assignment projects.
TRRC will provide manage
ment and onsite instruction.
Participants of any age are
welcome to participate as
long as minors have partici
pation permission forms
signed by their guardians.
“This is an ideal project
for a church group, school
group, or civic group to
adopt. Most of the projects
can be done in one six-to-
eight-hour day,” said Emily
Rogers.
To learn more about indi
vidual and group volunteer
opportunities, contact TRRC
Aging Division Assistant Di
rector Emily Rogers at
erogers@threeriversrc.com.
Grand Jury
Returns True Bills
The March 2024 term of Upson County Grand Jury
returned the following true bills May 16:
Jonati Kahri Austin - interstate interference with
custody.
Dontavious Shamar Walker - possession of mari
juana, more than an ounce; possession of a Schedule I
controlled substance with intent to distribute; and four
counts of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Pre
vention Act.
EMA Director Richard Hickmon. Andrew Carroll/Upson Beacon
Hickmon Talks
EMA at SERTOMA
Andrew Carroll
Sports Editor
acarroll@upsonbeacon.com
Upson Emergency Man
agement Agency Director
Richard Hickmon was the
guest speaker of the May 23
Thomaston SERTOMA Club
meeting.
Hickmon took over the
position from Martha Ann
McCarty, who retired last
year.
Hickmon commented
that even as a joint project
between the city and county,
the emergency management
agency is a small budget
item.
“If we’re a big budget
item, that’s a bad thing,”
Hickmon added.
Hickmon addressed the
relationships built between
Upson EMA and surround
ing counties, pointing to
Meriwether and Pike
counties as particularly
close partners.
He shared that the civic
center stands as Upson
County’s primary shelter
should a major disaster
occur.
Hickmon later ad
dressed the plans for a new
location, part of a proposed
$3 million facility that
would be paid for via grant
money, if approved.
Hickmon stated that the
funding comes for an emer
gency operations center that
would allow the EMA to tag
onto other public safety en
tities. In particular, the
Thomaston Police Depart
ment has come aboard with
this. The city passed a res
olution for $30,000 in ar
chitectural designs for the
project, and Hickmon called
the chance to pay, at most,
$175,000 for a $3 million
facility a “no brainer.”
Budget,
Continued from Front
Tuesday, June 25 at the TU-
BOE office, 205 Civic Center
Drive in Thomaston. The
board is scheduled to adopt
the final budget at the June
25, 7:30 a.m. meeting.
Upson County residents
are encouraged to attend the
hearings, which are sched
uled to provide an opportu
nity for public input on the
proposed budget. The budget
is available for review on the
district’s website at
www.upson.k12.ga.us or at
the office at the above ad
dress during operating
hours.
Complex,
Continued from Front
money to build a new police
station, but you can get it to
build a joint or multi-pur
pose emergency manage
ment complex.”
The Church Street
building is almost 12,000
square feet, roughly twice
the size of the current police
department on Barnesville
Street, according to Chief
Richardson, who said, “We
are maxed. There is no
space where we are.”
Richardson said EMA
Director Richard Hickmon
and TFD Chief Shane
Foster are “on board” with
the endeavor.
“It’s an excellent proj
ect, but we can’t apply for
that funding unless we have
renderings and plans to
show them,” he stated. “The
building is structurally
sound - the only one in the
city that was built to with
stand a hurricane. It’s very
secure and we could have
the fire department, police
department, and EMA all
together.”
Richardson said the
EMA crisis center could be
located in the facility’s base
ment, and a metal building
likely would be added be
hind the main structure to
house EMA’s equipment.
“We also would re-es
tablish the original city
courtroom, so we could
move city court back to that
building,” Richardson said.
“You could hold council
meetings there. There
would be multiple purposes
for the facility.”
Councilman Don Great-
house expressed support
for the venture.
“It’s a well-thought-out
plan,” Greathouse com
mented. “It would be opti
mum to have multiple
public safety divisions in
one complex - definitely a
win-win. Right now, our po
lice department is in an old
pharmacy building.”
Richardson acknowl
edged the city has “put a lot
of money” into renovating
the current police depart
ment, and Councilman Jeff
Middlebrooks expressed his
desire to recoup a portion of
that cost.
“We’ve spent about
$750,000 on the [current
department]. We need to be
able to sell it and get back
what we can,” Middle-
brooks said. “I’m going to
vote yes, but I don’t want it
to cost the taxpayers a
dime.”
Thompson told council
there would be no obliga
tion past the initial sche
matic design cost, but total
architectural fees would be
$172,500 if the board
chooses to move forward.
That fee would take the
project through construc
tion, according to Thomp
son.
Temporary Power Outage
in Thomaston June 1
A temporary power
outage will affect multiple
streets, traffic lights, and
businesses in Thomaston
on June l from 8 a.m. to
approximately noon while
repairs take place, accord
ing to city officials.
Those affected are as
follows:
Streets:
•West Main Street
•West Gordon Street
(from Thurston Avenue to
South Green Street)
•Wilson Way/Over
looks community (Reeves
Terrace, Meeks Terrace,
Doty Drive)
•North Green Street
(including Avera Estates
assisted living facility)
•Jackson Avenue (from
West Main Street to West
Gordon Street)
•Thurston Avenue
(from West Main Street to
West Gordon Street)
•West Thompson
Street (from North Church
Street to South Green
Street)
Traffic Lights:
•South Green Street
and West Gordon Street
•South Green Street
and West Main Street
•North Church Street
and West Main Street
•North Church Street
and West Thompson
Street
Businesses:
•Speedi Lube
•Ace Cleaners
•Colony Bank
•Saba Store
•Mimbs Taxi
•Twice The Ice
•Cell Tower
•Thomaston Prescrip
tion Shop
Yatesville City Council
Meeting Date Change
Notice
Yatesville City Council meetings have been
moved to the fourth Tuesday of every month with
a work session scheduled the first Tuesday of
every month. Meeting time will remain at 7 p.m.
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