About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2018)
DCSO hosts firearms class and range day LOCAL, 3A Hall grad to play in Special Olympics SPORTS, 1B WEDNESDAY I JUNE 27, 2018 DaWSOflNeWS ^com DAWSONVULE, GEORGIA $1.00 Dawson in good financial shape Auditor presents 2017 financial report By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com Dawson County is in good financial shape, according to the county’s 2017 audit results. Chris Hollifield, managing partner of Rushton and Company, a Gainesville CPA firm, presented the audit results to the board of commissioners June 14. Hollifield said that the audit went very smooth and issued a clean financial opinion of the county’s financial reporting. During his presentation to the board, Hollifield mentioned several budget highlights, and stated that of the county’s total $35.7 million in revenue in 2017, 41.79 percent came from sales tax, while property taxes made up 31.4 percent of reve nue. Grants, charges for servic es and other taxes made up the rest of the revenue. “Property tax is not the sole source of what’s funding every thing that we’ve got,” he said. “Both LOST and SPLOST had a pretty good increase in 2017, so that’s significant. That helps keep your property taxes where you’d like for them to be.” The county’s general fund revenue increased $1,396,424, or 6.3 percent from 2016 to 2017. Property tax revenue increased by $674,530 and LOST collections increased by $746,247. SPLOST collections increased 12 percent in 2017. As far as where money is being spent, of the county’s total $31.8 million in expenses in 2017, public safety amounts for 44 percent of expenses, pub lic works 17 percent, judicial 10 percent and general government 16 percent. Other expenses include health and welfare, cul ture and recreation and housing and development. Hollifield said expenditures increased $853,765, or a little over 4 percent, from 2016 to 2017. “The most significant ones of all the departments were the tax assessors increased, the sheriffs increased, the fire increased and emergency medical services See Finance 16A Photos by Jessica Brown Dawson County News Cadets were thrilled to wield the firehose at Fire Station No. 7 during the annual Junior Fire Academy June 21. Keeping it cool under fire Junior Fire Academy teaches kids life skills, safety By Jessica Brown jbrown@dawsonnews.com There’s more to being a firefighter than just extin guishing fires, as nearly 30 kids learned last week at the eighth annual Junior Fire Academy. Dawson County Emergency Services hosted its annual Junior Fire Academy from June 18-22 at Fire Station No. 7 next to Dawson County Middle School. Rising and current middle schoolers had the chance to hang out with firefighters and have fun. “The kids had a blast. They’re getting lots of learning along with some fun,” Prevention Officer Chris Archer said. “Not only do we get to reach out and show them how we act as firefighters and teach them some of the skills we have, but we also got to incorporate some life safety messages and keep them safer as well.” On Monday, participants toured the fire station and got an overview of the fire- trucks, ambulances and the day-to-day operations of a fire station. With the basic foundation covered, the rest of the week was dedicated to more in-depth activities such as creating home escape plans, learning CPR and playing with firehoses. “We try to make it learn ing and mainly fun. And I think one of the things most of them will never say but they really enjoy mak ing a lot of friends,” Ft. Jeff Banks said. Friendship and fun wasn’t all the week had to offer as Banks and Archer wanted kids to be able to take home valuable life Above, Prevention Officer Chris Archer helps a fire cadet aim the fire hose during a game of water tug-of-war at the fire station June 21. Left, Patrick Archer demon strates how a patient would be strapped to a stretcher in an emergen cy situation. safety lessons that could save someone’s life. Each camper participated in a CPR class where they See Fire 12A Rainbow group descends on N. Ga. forest By Alexander Popp DCN Regional Staff The gathering begins with a seed. Just a dozen or so people enter the woods like explorers, searching out campsites, kitchen loca tions and mountain springs, in preparations for the horde of yearly revelers following behind them. And in the coming days and weeks, thousands of people travel from all over the nation to the Bull Mountain area of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, a quick 10-minute drive outside of Dahlonega, to live, love, pray, heal, serve and wit ness the creation of a community at the Rainbow Family National Gathering. Each year since 1972 the Rainbow Family of Fiving Fight - a shifting, leaderless, collective group - has come together in a different national forest to grow a community and to pray for world peace. The event coincides with the Fourth of July holiday and climaxes on July 4 with a day-long spiritual gathering in the main meadow. To get a better picture of this unique phenome non, two reporters and I spent a day at the gather ing, talking to Rainbow Family Members, taking See Rainbow 15A A man makes the peace sign on Monday, June 25 during the Rainbow Family of Living Light gathering in the the Chattahoochee- Oconee National Forest. Ben Hendren Forsyth County News Charges pending in crash that hurt 6 By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com Charges are pending after a Dawsonville woman lost control of her vehicle on Hwy. 53 near Buddy Burt Road last week, resulting in a four-vehicle wreck. According to a press release from Georgia State Patrol, troopers were dispatched at 5:16 p.m. June 21 to a multi-vehicle crash on Hwy. 53 near Dell Conner Construction. The Dawsonville woman, Ashley Nicole Jett, 28, was reportedly traveling north on Hwy. 53 in the area of Buddy Burt Road in the left lane, traveling at a high rate of speed. The release states that Jett was attempting to negotiate a right-hand curve and lost control of her Chevrolet Malibu on the wet road. The Malibu rotated clockwise before sliding sideways across the center line into the south bound lane of Hwy. 53. At the same time, Christopher Mackey Kelly, 45, of Demorest, was traveling south on Hwy. 53 in the same area. After the Malibu crossed the centerline, the front of Kelly’s Toyota Prius struck the right side of the Malibu. See Crash 12A 9 0 9 9 Inside Volume 3, Number 39 © 2018, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Church Events 3B Classifieds 7B Dear Abby 6B Deaths 2A Legals 8B Opinion 9A Sports 1B Motorsports park to host fireworks July 4 4A Rotary Club ' plants lending library at Rock Creek
