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ity / Region
Does city have enough cash?
MOfficials sends
mixed messages
about budget
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Some county departments
might have to do without a few
things for a while, according to
acting Finance Director Donna
Williams.
“We’ve got some that are go
ing to be in trouble before the
end of the year,” she said.
“If they get down to Decem
ber, and typically in December
they order all their file folders,
it may have to wait until Janu
ary if they don’t have enough
funds. And they’ll get them out
of their next year’s funds.”
According to Tax Commis
sioner Jerry Saul, it may be a
case of losing the kingdom for
lack of a nail. On Oct. 8 he told
Schools take
a break for
the Pledge of
Allegiance
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Since the Sept. 11 bombing,
Friday afternoons at A. Brian
Merry have been abuzz with
nationalism. Oct. 12 was an
even more special day, how
ever, because the students at
the elementary school were par
ticipating in a demonstration
by gatheringon theschool yard
torecitethe Pledge of Allegiance
with their peers across the na
tion.
Principal Beverly Arnold ex
plained the significance of the
event. “It was done across the
nation for everyone just to be
united, and to show that the
United States is really a group
of united states.”
Fridays have been declared
Patriotic Dayat A. Brian Merry,
withactivitiesrangingfromrib
bon-sellingtomakingand hang
ing flags madeof every material
imaginable. Even candy.
Before the pledge, several of
Melissa Crawford’s fifth-grade
studentsat A. Brian Merry were
inthehallway makingan edible
flagby gluingred licorice, white
sour tarts and blue-wrappered
chocolate bars to a cardboard
backing. Their teacher, Mel
issa Crawford explained that it
was for the kindergarten class
to whom they regularly read.
Paper flags, colored by the stu--
dents, adorned the walls. Out
side, red, white and blue cups
had been poked through the
links in the fence to represent
Old Glory.
Arnold said that it is easy to
be patriotic at her school, be
cause the school colors are red,
white and blue.
Outside, oneclass threw their
. fists into the air and chanted,
“U.S.A.!U.S.A.!” Othersstood
with hands placed firmly over
hearts several minutes before
pledgetime. They werecertainly
very enthusiastic, but the Fo
cus asked their principal how
much of all this she thought
they understood.
“I do not think they fully
understand the significance of
what’s going onin the world. A
lot of adults don’t understand
that.” But, she said, observing
the tragedy dissolve the lines
separating many Americans,
they have learned that, even
though there may be disagree
ments among groups, those
groups can still be united.
‘These shows of patriotism
havebeen particularly poignant
for students who lost family
members that day.
the Administrative Services
Committee that he may not be
able to do things like mail out
the pre-bills to the taxpayers
when tag time rolls around.
District Attorney Danny Craig
told the commissioners that he
felt like an Ethiopian child be
ing asked to go on a diet. And
Sheriff Ronnie Strength, who
cut hisbudget by the requested
3.5 percent, says he is “way
past concerned” about an exo
dus of deputies fleeing his de
partment to seek the promised
land of greener pastures.
The department heads were
responding to the belt-tighten
ing they have already under
gone as a result of a 3 1/2
percent cutback previously im
posed on them by the commis
sion.
Inastorylikethis, the phrase
“cautiously optimistic” usually
creepsinsomewhere. Commis
sioner Steve Shepard is the pur
veyorin thisone. “Idon’t think
it’s as bad as those few depart
e
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Millicent Mazyck, minister of music for the Tabernacle Baptist Church, led the church’s
C.S. Hamilton Men’s Choir in rehearsal for the October 14,2001 Sunday night concert
that featured Wycliffe Gordon. Gordon’s quartet and other choirs also performed in
the free concert sponsored by Tabernacle. Photo byLillian Wan
Area presidents discuss
reactions to terror attack
By Shun Norris
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Augustans Together held an
anti-racism luncheon forumon
October 9, 2001 at BL’s Res
taurant featuringarea college
presidents. The theme of the
meeting was “Building Bridges
in the Aftermath.”
The purpose of the forum
wasto help Augustans cometo
grips with the events of Sep
tember 11. The forum ad
dressed how the local presi
dents reacted as leaders on
and shortly after September
13, é
Openingremarks were given
by co-chairperson Shirley L.
Markle. .
“Theseeventsstrongly dem
onstrate that the dividing in
our society must beeliminated.
Handling the anthrax threat
Anthraxcontaminationand
the flu have very similar
symptoms. Having a flu shot
reducesthe possibility of con
fusing the two, if symptoms
do appear.
“Everyone who can should
getaflushot thistime of year,
regardless of this other mis
chief,” says Congressman
Charlie Norwood. “If we all
do what we should, the end
result will be a handful of
people across the nation hav
ing to take antibiotics as a
precaution, while the vast
majority ofthe population will
be healthier from lack of sus
ceptibility to the flu.”
ment heads have painted the
picture,” hesaid. “Ithink we're
going to be able to get through
thisbudget year. We’ve got less
than three months left and
we’vegot adequatecontingency
and reserves to get through
this budget.”
In fact, Mayor Bob Young’s
forecast is downright sunny.
“We are not in crisis,” he
said. “Not even close. We are
paying our bills and we are
solvent. We have a good bond
rating, good reserves. We have
abalanced budget. Life doesn’t
get any better than that.”
He explained the difference
between contingency and re
serves. The contingency fund,
hesaid, isafund that the county
expects to dip into when its
departmentsneedaboostatthe
end of the year. The reserve
fund is for freak accidents, and
the county’s official opinion is,
they hope they never have to
touch it.
Asfarasthosecounty depart
All Americans must realize
that, unless we come together
as a people, we will continue
to be at risk in preserving our
freedoms and way of life from
those who would destroy it,”
Shirley L. Markle said.
Augusta State University
president Dr. Bill Bloodworth
expressed his gratitude for ac
tions not taken on his cam
pus. There were no protests of
any kind against American
students or the school, nor
were there any aggression
shown toward international
students.
“The first decision that we
made was to cancel classes.
We were very concerned about
our international students,”
said Bloodworth.”
MCG president Dr. Daniel
Rahn shared his thoughts.
“My greatest concern was re
What to watch for:
* Contains unidentified lig
uid or powder;
* Has a strange odor;
* The package is lopsided;
* Taped or roped packages;
* There are stains on it;
* Greasy or powder residue;
* Incorrect title with name;
* Incompletereturn address;
* Restricted markings, or
marked “personal”;
* Misspelled words or no zip
code;
* Foreign stamps;
* Excessive postage;
* Postmarks to CUR
RENTLY watch for: Trenton,
NdJ and Florida.
ments, Young said, they were
given a goal of 3 1/2 percent
budget cuts. “Somemade them.
They will be fine.” Others, he
said, didn’t make the attempt.
He may have been talking
about the district attorney’s
office, whose head complained
tothecommittee that theymade
the cuts for him, ignoring the
budget he had prepared.
Asked about solutions like
hiring freezes and layoffs, the
mayor said they are up to the
departmentstomake,and does
not fall under his duties or
those of the commission.
“There has been no talk of
layoffs,” Williams said, a posi
tion which hasbeenreverberat
ingthrough thecorridorsofthe
Municipal Building since the
Bth.
Therehas, however, been talk
of allowing positions to fade
away. due to attrition and by
not filling positions that are
already empty. Thatcanrelieve
thedepartmentsofsomeoftheir
ally that, as a nation we have
a history of mobilizing our
selves against common en
emies. That’s a good thing, in
asenseunitingaslongaswe’re
very clear that the enemy is
terrorism. The enemy is not
an ethnic group or minority.
And I believe that there is a
very grave danger of us falling
into old habits. I think we
should be constant that the
issues that unite us far exceed
those that divide us at this
time. We need to stay focused
on the true enemy.”
Augusta Technical College
president Terry Elam, Paine
College president Dr. Shirley
A.R. Lewis, and Kent Spruill,
chair ofthe Augusta-Richmond
Human Relations Commission
also spoke of Augustans’ re
sponsibilities in the wake of
the attack.
What to do:
* Stay calm;
* Don’t move the letter or
package;
* Close if opened;
* Wash hands;
* Allow no one to enter the
area;
* Cover the item - if pos
sible; -
* Anyone thought to have
comein contact should beiso
lated;
* Notify police and advise of
what you saw, heard, or
smelled; does it contain a liq
uid or solid? Was a vapor
released? Did you notice any
adverse health effects?
AUGUSTA FOCUS
financial burdens. In cases of
extreme need, Williams said,
thereisalwaysthecontingency
fund.
“We still have an amount in
contingency whichcanalwaysbe
redirectedtofundingsomeofthose
shortcomings in the various de
partments,” shesaid. “Andthat’s
typically where they go.”
Contingency contains
$700,000 at this time, she said.
He said that, with the added
expense of intensive security
measures in the wake of Sept.
11, a time of sacrifice is immi
nent.
“Folks are not going to want
to hear that,” he said. “Sacri
fice and an emphasis on public
safety.
“We'll get through this bud
get year, I think, pretty well,
but next year’s budget’s going
to have to be looked at really,
really hard. It’s going to be a
more difficult budget in 2002
than it was in 2001.”
District 3 candidates
share views at forum
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
At the Chamber of Commerce
candidate forum for the Dis
trict 3 County Commission
candidates held Oct. 17, in
cumbent Steve Shepard and
challenger Benjamin Belcher
spoke out in favor of projects
and concerns near and dear to
their hearts.
Belcher likes the idea of of
feringtax holidaysto lure busi
nesses downtown and else
where in Augusta, by waiving
some local taxes and fees. “We
need some incentives for people
whowant tocometothearea,”
he said, adding that opening a
business is hard with all the
other costsinvolved, especially
the prices and condition of the
buildings.
Shepard said that even such
lures have costs and other con
siderations: “How longyou’re
going to give it. How will you
fund the necessary services
that you would get from the
tax revenue that you’re waiv
ing for that period of tax holi
day?
“I'm pretty much open to
experimentation with any kind
of thing like that,” he said,
and went on to mention other
things that have been done as
incentives, like planting trees
on Broad Street.
When Belcher was asked
whether he thought the cur
rent administration had done
a good job on the economic
development front, hesaid that
they have, in many instances,
practiced inclusion —but only
up to a point. “A lot of voters
feel that they have not been
included in all of the activities
in Augusta,” he said.
In addition, he said, some
services could be improved.
“I’d like to see (public) trans
portationrestored.” Hewants
passenger trains.
“We’ve certainly done our
share of infrastructure im
provement,” Shepardsaid. And
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was elected to the Pro Foot
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year of eligibility. In 1990 he
OCTOBER 18, 2001
So, he said, increased taxes
andfeesareapossibility. “We're
going to have to have some
additional fees for security,
maybe additional taxesdirected
toward public safety. That’s all
part of it.”
In addition, he has asked the
Finance Committee if they’ve
considered raising the feesthat
people pay when they file a civil
suit.
“We’vegot tolook at all those
items across the board and say,
can weraise this fee here? Can
we get some efficiency here?
“All of the above are going to
have to be considered.”
Overall, Shepard is hopeful.
He thinks that the county will
be able to continue avoiding
layoffs, and says that he is not
prepared to implement such a
final solution. But even in spite
of that, he adds this note of
caution:
“I think we can’t disregard
any way of reaching the bal
anced budget.”
asfar astransportation is con
cerned, he said, he supports
theidea ofbringing Amtrak to
town, an idea that has gotten
some play among the commis
sioners lately.
The most difficult question
of the evening may very well
have been the most simple:
What is the purpose of the
Augusta-Richmond County
government?
One of Shepard’s main con
cerns these days s security. “I
think the No. 1 priority of the
government is the protection
ofthelivesand the property of
the citizens.” In fact, he said,
the county’s budget reflects
that sentiment, as 60-65 per
cent of the budget goes to law
and judicial departments.
“Home defense is very impor
tant,” hesaid. “There areother
subsidiary reasons but that’s
the core reason.”
In answer to that question,
Belcher said, “I think some of
the points that Mr. Shepard
made were valid, but I don’t
think we need to send out a
panic attack.” Then he began
to talk about how HIV/AIDS
not discriminate. He said he
would like to see Augusta in
clude the people who are af
fected by debilitating diseases
like AIDS in the decisionsthat
it makes.
He also expressed a concern
also about the public water
supply. “We are very vulner
able at this point. You could
drop anthrax or any number
of chemical, biological agents
in our water, so these things
need to be secured.”
Benjamin Belcher is an Au
gusta native who has worn
many hats: businessman, po
litical activist, talk show host.
He is also the nephew of past
Augusta Focus columnist, the
late J. Philip Waring.
Steve Shepard was born in
Atlanta, but haslived and prac
ticed lawin Augustaa number
of years, as well as staying
involved in the community
through civic organizations.
was named to the Dolphins
Silver Anniversary all-time
team, and on Nov. 19, 1990
was enshrined on the Dol
phin Honor Rollat Joe Robbie
Stadium.
For ticket prices and addi
tional information, please
contact Ellis Albright, execu
tive director of the CSRA
Classic, at (706) 722-4222 ext.
202.
3A