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| 3rd Annual Fire Truck Pull Set Sept. 16, A3
Braelinn Stars Give Back with Kipper, A7
Going Out on Top: Garvin Retires
a Champion, A6
THE TRUTH SINCE 1886
FAYETTE COUNTY (1) NEWS
f ay ett e-news, net
Vol. 151, No. 33 Wednesday, August 16, 2023 $1.
Michael Clifton/kombatkamera.com
Baseball is a World Sport
Tyrone Team Hosts Belgium’s Brasschaat Braves
Mike Clifton
Contributor
kombatkamera.com
The Fayette County
Baseball Association, in
conjunction with the MAVZ
Georgia baseball team out of
the Baseball Lab in Tyrone,
hosted the Brasschaat
Braves on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
Brasschaat is a town in the
northern, Dutch-speaking
part (Flanders) of Belgium.
Group coordinator and
assistant coach Chris
Schoonheydt, when asked
about why they came to the
United States, said, "...it is
an awesome opportunity to
play against local teams in
the same age category, in
the biggest country of base
ball, learn and practice from
See Baseball, A6
Michael Clifton/kombatkamera.com
PTC, Tyrone Officials Advise Public: Refrain
from Using Lake Peachtree, Shamrock Pond
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
As summer comes to a
close, officials of Peachtree
City and the Town of Tyrone
have both issued warnings
related to use of public
bodies of water in respective
areas.
In Peachtree City, the
city issued a warning con
cerning potentially harmful
algae that was discovered in
Lake Peachtree. In the same
week, the town of Tyrone is
sued a similar warning for
Shamrock Park Pond.
According to a Tyrone
press release, there is ev
idence indicating that blue-
green algae may be present
in pond water.
According to PTC Mayor
Kim Learnard, one of the
code enforcement officials
noticed what they initially
thought was a paint spill on
the east side of Lake Peach
tree.
“They called the fire de
partment right away, who
came out for containment
purposes of what we
thought was a spill. But we
also called the Fayette
County Water Department
to come out and do testing,”
Learnard said, “and that’s
how we learned that what
we actually have is an algae
bloom in the lagoon on the
east side of Lake Peachtree.”
As of Aug. 9, both Peach
tree City and Tyrone officials
have prohibited swimming
or engaging in any activities
in both bodies of water.
For Peachtree City, Lear
nard said that issues with
the algae blooms should re
solve naturally with time.
Tyrone officials are wait
ing for conclusive lab results
as to the type of algae that is
present at certain levels that
could potentially be harmful
to humans and pets.
Georgia Congressman Drew Ferguson, center.
Courtesy of Fayette Chamber
Congressman Ferguson Visits Fayette Chamber
Brigitte Greer
Staff Writer
bgreer@fayette-news.net
Fayette County Chamber
of Commerce hosted its la
test “Pancakes and Policy”
series breakfast on Wednes
day, Aug. 9, featuring Con
gressman Drew Ferguson,
representative of Georgia’s
Third District.
During his presentation,
See Chamber, A2
PTC Holds First
Millage Rate PH
Next Public Hearings Set
Aug. 17, 9 a.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
On Thursday, Aug. to,
the City Council of Peach
tree City held a special
called meeting on the pro
posed millage rate for Fiscal
Year 2024.
PTC Financial Services
Director Paul Salvatore
opened by explaining that
the millage rate is broken
into two sub-categories: the
maintenance and opera
tions millage rate and the
bond millage rate. These
two sub-categories combine
for the total millage rate.
According to Salvatore,
staff recommends that the
total milage rate remain at
6.043 mills, keeping the
M&O rate at 6.043 mills and
the bond rate at o mills.
“We’ve paid off all our
geo bond debt and there are
no referendums coming up
in the near future in that re
gard,” Salvatore said. “So
that could remain zero in
definitely.”
According to the 11-year
millage rate history that Sal
vatore presented, the city
has decreased the millage
rate since 2012 by 1.135
mills. The millage rate has
been stagnant at 6.043 mills
See PTC Millage, A2
Public Hearing Held
for Tyrone Millage
Next Public Hearing Scheduled
Thursday, Aug. 17, 7 p.m.
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
On Thursday, Aug. 10,
Tyrone Town Council held
the first of three public
hearings for the proposed
Fiscal Year 2024 millage
rate.
The meeting began at 9
a.m. to discuss the 2.889
proposed millage rate,
which is projected to pro
vide revenue for approx
imately 11 percent of the
budgeted general fund ex
penses for FY24, according
to officials.
Staff recommended that
the town maintain the
2.889 millage rate for the
16th consecutive year.
Following initial expla
nations by staff, Tyrone
Mayor Eric Dial outlined the
purpose and method for
holding the public hearing,
after which no public com
ment was made in support
or opposition of the millage
rate.
See Tyrone Millage, A2
City of Fayetteville
Announces Proposed
Property Tax Increase
Next Public Hearings Scheduled
Thursday, Aug. 17, 9 a.m. & 6 p.m.
The Fayetteville City
Council announced this week
its intention to increase the
2023 property taxes it will
levy by 10.34 percent over the
rollback millage rate.
Each year, the board of
assessors is required to re
view the assessed value for
property tax purposes of tax
able property in the county.
When the trend of prices on
properties that have recently
sold in the county indicate
there has been an increase in
the fair market value of any
specific property, the board
of tax assessors is required by
law to re-determine the value
of such property and adjust
the assessment. This is called
a reassessment.
When the total digest of
taxable property is prepared,
Georgia law requires that a
rollback millage rate must be
computed that will produce
the same total revenue on the
current year’s digest that last
year’s millage rate would have
produced had no reassess
ments occurred.
The budget tentatively
adopted by the Fayetteville
City Council requires that a
millage rate higher than the
rollback millage rate, there
fore, before the Fayetteville
City Council may finalize the
tentative budget and set a
final millage rate, Georgia law
requires three public hearings
to be held to allow the public
an opportunity to express
their opinions on the increase.
All concerned citizens are
invited to the public hearings
on this tax increase to be held
at Fayetteville City Hall, 210
Stonewall Avenue East in Fay
etteville on Thursday, Aug.
17, at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.,
and on August 24, at 9
a.m.
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