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8A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, July 24,2019
What Johnson hopes to do if reelected sheriff
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County Sheriff Jeff
Johnson recently announced
plans to run for reelection.
Johnson has served as sheriff
for the past two and a half years.
Prior to being elected sheriff,
Johnson had more than 26 years
of law enforcement experience
including time served in the
Hall County Sheriff’s Office and
the Gainesville Police
Department. He served roles in
detention, patrol, investigations
and training.
“I want our community to
know that it has been an honor
and a privilege to serve as
Dawson County’s Sheriff,”
Johnson said.
If elected for a second term,
Johnson would like to expand
on the office’s current initiatives
which include making use of the
Crime Suppression Unit, main
taining employee retention rates,
investing in specialized training
and continuing community out
reach and transparency.
Johnson said the office is cur
rently in good position, as a
recent increase in pay has
increased employee retention.
“We cleared a big hurdle this
week,” Johnson said of his
recent appearance at the July
18 Board of Commissioners
voting session.
Commission Chairman Billy
Thurmond explained to
Johnson during the voting ses
sion that as sheriff, Johnson has
the authority to provide raises
without seeking a vote of
approval from the board.
As with his current term,
Johnson said if reelected he
would continue to invest in his
people. So far that includes a
pay increase that makes Dawson
County’s salary competitive
with its northern neighbors. He
also plans to expand specialized
training which would include
mental health first responder
training as well as special needs
response training.
As far as when the communi
ty can expect to see these plans
in action, Johnson said he’s not
waiting until the election is set
tled in May.
“We’ve got work to do now,”
Johnson said.
It’s likely that specialized
training, advances in technolo
gy and expansion of communi
ty programs come to the sher
iff’s office well before the elec
tion in May because Johnson
said he’s not going to wait to
implement initiatives when
things can be done now.
Johnson said he also believes
in being present and transparent
in the community, with continua
tion of programs like the
Citizens’ Law Enforcement
Academy, the Junior Law
Enforcement Academy, the
Explorer’s Program, and firearms
safety, women’s self-defense and
church safety classes.
He would also like to contin
ue with town hall meetings
throughout the year to provide
updates on the sheriff’s office.
Citizens are also welcome to
stop by his office to talk to him.
“My door is always open and
there’s no appointment neces
sary ... that will not change,”
Johnson said.
During Johnson’s time as sher
iff, the office has received numer
ous upgrades including attaining
state re-certification and medical
department re-accreditation, rein
stating the SWAT team and creat
ing the Crime Suppression Unit,
as well as implementing a bomb
dog, realistic training simulations
and the Judgmental Use of Force
Simulator.
After going through the bud
get process this year, Johnson
hopes to implement body cam
eras for officers which will
reduce the office’s liability as
well as lead to the potential of
greater prosecution success.
Johnson has lived in Dawson
County for more than 35 years.
He has been married to Lisa for
more than 27 years and has two
sons, Zach and Josh, a daughter-
in-law, Whitney, and a rescue ter
rier mix named Boo. Johnson is a
member of Lighthouse Baptist
Church in Dawsonville. In his
career in law enforcement he has
been a member of the Georgia
Sheriff’s Association, the
National Sheriff’s Association,
NRA, Chiefs of Police, Dawson
County Chamber of Commerce,
the Dawson County Drug Task
Force, the Dawson County
Domestic Violence Task Force,
the Edmonson Telford Center for
Children, Dawson County
Family Connection, School
Governance Council and the
Georgia Commission on Family
Violence.
What Perry wants to do if he’s elected sheriff
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Earlier this month,
longtime Dawson County
resident Jeff Perry
announced his campaign
for Dawson County
Sheriff. He also ran for
election in 2016.
He is currently a teacher
at Dawson County High
School who established the
Criminal Justice program.
Prior to his career as an
educator, Perry served for
27 years in law enforce
ment, most notably as a
parole chief in charge of
2,500 parolees in the north
Georgia region. He also
served on the State
Olympic Law Enforcement
Command in 1996.
For Perry, some of his
most pressing concerns
that his platform address
es is the sheriff’s office
budget, officer retention
rate, drugs on the street
and communication with
citizens.
“As a taxpayer and my
experience with dealing
with taxpayer dollars, we
have to be very careful
about how we spend tax
payers ’ dollars,” Perry
said.
If elected, Perry said he
would create a transition
team that would help pro
vide information as to
how the budget is allocat
ed. It would consist of
community members,
business owners, law
enforcement officers that
would provide advice,
though the sheriff would
have the final decision.
“You’ve got to have
community buy-in before
you have any success,”
Perry said. “Let’s make a
successful transition from
this administration to this
administration with the
goal: how can we best
protect the public and
protect taxpayers’ dol
lars.”
Perry said he would
practice results-based
budgeting, meaning if a
program is not receiving
the desired results, Perry
would allocate funds else
where that would be more
useful.
“If we were funding
something for that 12
month period and in that
12 months if we weren’t
getting the effects that we
wanted, then why keep
funding that? Use that
money somewhere else,”
Perry said.
Looking at the county’s
growth over the past three
years, Perry said the
growth hasn’t been
enough to justify the
recent increases to the
sheriff’s budget.
“I will not ask for tax
payers’ dollars until I
know where every single
taxpayer dollar is going
and whether it’s being
used for success, whether
we’re getting results from
it,” Perry said. “If not,
we’re going to look at
that money and we’re
going to close that pro
gram or that unit and put
it where we need it.”
Another concern is
retaining officers and
keeping experienced offi
cers within the sheriff’s
office. Perry said it’s not
always about the money,
saying he’d like to have
good leadership in place
and make the office a
good work environment,
as well as providing
incentives for officers
who have completed, or
are working toward
degrees.
Perry also said he
would like to establish a
reserve officer program, a
program in which partici
pants would have some
restrictions but would still
serve with the sheriff’s
office in a volunteer
capacity.
“We send you to train
ing and you have limita
tions, but you will help us
put more boots on the
ground and more eyes
and ears on the streets,”
Perry said.
Something else Perry
would like to implement if
elected is a Citizen’s Day
each month where com
munity members can
come to the sheriff’s
office without an appoint
ment to ask questions and
provide feedback. He
would also like to hold
quarterly town hall meet
ings out in the community,
each at a different location
to have increased visibility
in the community.
“I think as an elected
official you have to do
that because they are the
people who put you in
office,” Perry said. “You
work for Dawson County.
You work for the citizens
of Dawson County.”
Perry has lived in
Dawson County since
1989. He is married to
Lisa and will be celebrat
ing 30 years together in
August. He has a son and
daughter-in-law, Jacob
and Lindsey; a daughter,
Jade; and a three year old
foster child, Abel. He
enjoys spending time
with his family which
includes a sit-down
Sunday dinner at his
mother-in-law’s home
each week. He enjoys
traveling, fishing, hunt
ing, reading and playing
golf as well as supporting
and sponsoring athletic
teams in Dawson County
and being an active mem
ber of Liberty Baptist
Church where he is a
Deacon and serves as the
Chairman of the Deacon
Board.
NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE
The Dawson County Board of Education has tentatively adopted a millage rate which
will require an increase in property taxes by 0.64 percent.
All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be
held at the Dawson County Board of Education Administration Building, 28 Main
Street, Dawsonville, GA on August 6th at 7:30 am and 5:00 pm, and August 13th at
6:00 pm.
Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increase are at the Dawson
County Board of Education Administration Building, 28 Main Street, Dawsonville, GA
on August 13th at 6:00 pm.
This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 15.778 mills, an increase of 0.10
mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 15.678
mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $300,000 is
approximately $12.00 and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property
with a fair market value of $225,000 is approximately $9.00.
NOTICE
The Dawson County Board of Education does hereby announce that millage hearings will be held at the board office at 28 Main Street,
Dawsonville, Georgia, on August 6th at 7:30 am and 5:00 pm, and August 13th at 6:00 pm and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 48-5-32 does
hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
CURRENT 2019 PROPERTY TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
BOARD OF EDUCATION
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019*
V
A
L
U
E
Real & Personal
1,235,141,214
1,335,404,282
1,405,703,009
1,496,458,775
1,695,040,121
1,729,087,887
Motor Vehicles
61,421,210
46,196,288
35,761,420
28,375,390
22,786,170
18,911,590
Mobile Homes
894,158
890,629
955,649
952,109
1,493,910
1,711,047
Timber -100%
146,332
5,273
88,593
96,561
190,449
200,000
Heavy Duty Equipment
Gross Digest
1,297,602,914
1,382,496,472
1,442,508,671
1,525,882,835
1,719,510,650
1,749,910,524
Less Exemptions
233,489,669
252,868,705
267,876,110
283,458,307
318,817,169
326,996,446
NET DIGEST VALUE
1,064,113,245
1,129,627,767
1,174,632,561
1,242,424,528
1,400,693,481
1,422,914,078
R
A
T
E
MILLAGE RATE
(Maintenance & Operation)
17.2460
16.4960
15.7780
15.7780
15.7780
15.7780
TAX
TOTAL M&O TAXES LEVIED
$18,351,697
$18,634,340
$18,533,353
$19,602,974
$22,100,142
$22,450,738
Net Tax $ Increase
$282,643
($100,987)
$1,069,622
$2,497,168
$350,597
Net Tax % Increase
1.54%
-0.54%
5.77%
12.74%
1.59%
*Preliminary
