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4A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, October 17,2018
FROM 1A
Ballot
co-founder of NOW
Account, a financial ser
vices firm for small busi
nesses.
Kemp, 55, is an Athens
resident and current
Georgia Secretary of State.
He was previously a state
senator.
Metz, 60, lives in
Mableton and is a retired
U.S. Navy veteran. He
worked in the insurance
industry for 20 years and
was in telecommunications
before that. He is the
Libertarian Party of
Georgia chair.
Running for the U.S.
House 9th District seat are
incumbent Doug Collins,
R-Gainesville and his
Democratic challenger,
Josh McCall.
Collins is an attorney
and took office in 2013 to
represent what is one of
the most conservative dis
tricts in the country.
McCall is a teacher in
Gainesville making his
first run for public office.
Those who live in the
western portion of Dawson
County will see incumbent
David Ralston, R-Blue
Ridge face Democratic
challenger Rick D. Day for
the Georgia House of
Representatives District 7
seat.
Ralston is an attorney
from Ellijay and took
office in 2003. He previ
ously served in the Georgia
State Senate, representing
District 51, from 1992
until 1998.
Day lives in Ellijay and
is self-employed.
Other statewide races
include those for Lieutenant
Governor, Secretary Of
State and State School
Superintendent, among oth
ers.
There are no contested
local races, but voters will
see names on the ballot
for District 1 and District
3 county commission
seats as well as District 3
and at-large board of edu
cation seats.
There are also five
amendments to the
Constitution of Georgia as
well as two referendums
for voters to decide.
Amendment 1:
Georgia Outdoor
Stewardship Act
Question: Without
increasing the current state
sales tax rate, shall the
Constitution of Georgia be
amended so as to create
the Georgia Outdoor
Stewardship Trust Fund to
conserve lands that protect
drinking water sources
and the water quality of
rivers, lakes, and streams;
to protect and conserve
forests, fish, wildlife habi
tats, and state and local
parks; and to provide
opportunities for our chil
dren and families to play
and enjoy the outdoors, by
dedicating, subject to full
public disclosure, up to 80
percent of the existing
sales tax collected by
sporting goods stores to
such purposes without
increasing the current state
sales tax rate?
What it means: If it
passes, up to 80 percent of
sales taxes collected by
sportings goods stores
would go to the “protec
tion and preservation of
conservation land,”
according to the secretary
of state’s website.
Amendment 2: State
business court
Question: Shall the
Constitution of Georgia
be amended so as to cre
ate a state-wide business
court, authorize superior
court business court divi
sions, and allow for the
appointment process for
state-wide business court
judges in order to lower
costs, improve the effi
ciency of all courts, and
promote predictability of
judicial outcomes in cer
tain complex business
disputes for the benefit of
all citizens of this state?
What it means: If par
ties to a lawsuit agree, a
case could be removed
from the judicial circuit’s
Superior Court to a new
statewide business court.
Judges for this court
would serve five-year
terms by appointment of
the governor. They can be
reappointed for any num
ber of consecutive terms,
according to the resolu
tion. A Metro Atlanta
Business Court oversees
cases in Fulton and
Gwinnett counties.
According to the business
court’s 2016 data, half of
the cases were closed
within 12 months of
transferring to business
court.
Amendment 3:
Forest land fair
market value
Question: Shall the
Constitution of Georgia
be amended so as to
revise provisions related
to the subclassification for
tax purposes of and the
prescribed methodology
for establishing the value
of forest land conserva
tion use property and
related assistance grants,
to provide that assistance
grants related to forest
land conservation use
property may be increased
by general law for a five-
year period and that up to
5 percent of assistance
grants may be deducted
and retained by the state
revenue commissioner to
provide for certain state
administrative costs, and
to provide for the subclas
sification of qualified tim-
berland property for ad
valorem taxation purpos
es?
What it means: The
amendment would create
a new class for ad valor
em taxation known as
“qualified timberland
property,” which
“includes only tangible
real property” primarily
used for growing trees,
according to House
Resolution 51. The
Georgia Forestry
Association said it would
increase the acres “eligi
BRIAN KEMP
RECENTLY VISITED
DAWSON COUNTY AND
SAID HE WOULD STAND UP
FOR RURAL GEORGIA
But here's what he didn't say:
• The issues page of his website only
dedicates seven words to health care
• His record proves he won't support
protections for Georgians with
pre-existing conditions
• He’s against expanding Medicaid
for 500,000 Georgians and against
bringing in 50,000 jobs to help
rural Georgia
• He has no plans that will help keep
rural hospitals open
RURAL GEORGIA
CAN’T TRUST
BRIAN KEMP
11 Alive, 9/10/18; AJC, 9/10/18; AJC, 9/5/18; Thev Macon Telegraph, 8/10/18;
Georgia Health News, 9/5/18
Paid for by the Democratic Party of Georgia
ble for conservation under
the Forest Land
Protection Act.”
Currently, land protected
by the act must be 200
contiguous acres. This
change would allow it to
be “an aggregate of 200
acres across the state” if
there are 100 acre parcels
in any county, according
to the forestry association.
Amendment 4:
Marsy s Law, crime
victims' rights
Question: Shall the
Constitution of Georgia
be amended so as to pro
vide certain rights to vic
tims against whom a
crime has allegedly been
perpetrated and allow vic
tims to assert such rights?
What it means: The law
would give crime victims
certain constitutionally
protected rights, includ
ing timely notification of
court proceedings and the
right “to be heard at any
scheduled court proceed
ings involving the release,
plea or sentencing of the
accused,” according to
Senate Resolution 146.
The Georgia General
Assembly would also cre
ate a process for a family
member or guardian to
“assert the rights of such
victim” when the victim
is a minor, legally inca
pacitated or dead.
Amendment 5:
County sales tax
referendum for
school district/
districts
Question: Shall the
Constitution of Georgia
be amended so as to
authorize a referendum
for a sales and use tax for
education by a county
school district or an inde
pendent school district or
districts within the county
having a majority of the
students enrolled within
the county and to provide
that the proceeds are dis
tributed on a per student
basis among all the
school systems unless an
agreement is reached
among such school sys
tems for a different distri
bution?
What it means: If
passed, school systems
with the majority of stu
dents enrolled in a county
could call for a referen
dum without needing
approval from all school
systems. The funds would
then be issued on a per
See Ballot 15A
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
Notice is hereby given that three public hearings shall be held
by the Dawson County Board of Commissioners at the Dawson
County Government Center, 25 Justice Way, Assembly Room 2302,
Dawsonville, Georgia as follows:
• 6 p.m. Thursday, October 4,2018 - Public Comment on Proposed
FY 2019 Budget
• 4 p.m. Thursday, October 11,2018- Public Comment Hearing
required by Georgia law
• and 6 p.m. Thursday, October 18,2018 - Additional opportunity for
Public Comment.
The Proposed Budget will be presented by the Chairman of the
Board of Commissioners to the Board and the public at the Board’s
meeting of Thursday, September 27,2018. Once it has been
presented by the Chairman, the Proposed Budget will be available
for review by the public at the County Clerk’s office on the second
floor of the Government Center during normal business hours.
At the October 18,2018, meeting the Board will consider and may
adopt the FY 2019 Budget. The Public Comment Hearings on October
4 and October 18 are not required by law but are being held to give
citizens a greater opportunity to be heard prior to adoption of next
year’s budget.
VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA CHAPTER 970
NORTH GEORGIA MOUNTAINS
ANNUAL MOONSHINE FUNDRAISER
51st Annual Mountain Moonshine Festival
October 26-28,2018
VVA 970 members have tickets for sale
Tickets $5.00
GRAND PRIZES
Tickets $5.00
Firman Power Generator
$650.00 Value
7500 Running Watts
MUZZLE LOADER
THOMPSON CENTER ARMS
OMEA Z5 50 CAL. RIFLE
2 Rounds of 50 Sporting
Clays & 1 Golf Cart Rental
619 Sporting Hill Drive
Dawsonville, GA 30534
wrrr\ \
2 HAND MADE
ADIRONDACK CHAIRS
$200.00 + VALUE
AMICALOLA PROPANE DAWSONVILLE,-
$300.00 PROPANE HEATER
AMICALOLA AERIAL ADVENTURES ZIP LINE
PASSES - $200.00
YOUR DONATION HELPS US TO SUPPORT VETERANS AND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
ALL PRIZE PACKAGES VALUED AT $100.00+
• Restaurant Gift Cards • Vehicle Service Vouchers
• Local Merchant Gift Certificates • Tickets for local Attractions and Events
ALL PRIZES AWARDED DURING THE MOONSHINE FESTIVAL
Moonshine Festival Community Partners
DawsonCount
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