Newspaper Page Text
2A
-FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1987
BUDGET Continued from 1A
will allow for salary increases for
existing deputies and the addition of
four others to the police force, com
missioners said.
Certified deputies will receive a
pay hike of $2,400 in 1988, and uncerti
fied deputies will find $1,200 . tacked
onth their paychecks’ according to
commissioners.
Provisions of the 1988 budget will
also allow the hiring of an assistant
marshal to work out of the county
marshal’s office, said Harrington.
“We gave (the marshal) an extra
man because he didn’t have coverage
at night and on Saturdays,” Harring
ton said. “You’d be amazed at the
number of calls the sheriff’s depart
ment refers to the marshal. He han
dles most of the civil matters like
violations of county noise and dump
ing rdinances and animal compalint
calls.”
Commissioners expanded the
county administration budget by $12,-
860 to allow for the addition of a
personnel director for county employ
ees and a purchasing agent. Inter
viewing is underway for both
positions, and the employees should
be named in a week or 10 days,
according to Roberts.
Budget decreases
Not all departments will see major
budget increases in 1988, however.
The county’s public buildings division
dropped from $186,992 in 1987 to a
budgeted $132,466 for 988. Officials at
the tax assessor’s office will work
with $32,740 less than their 1987 allot
ment of $366,777, and the public li
brary will drop from $41,329 to 40,835
in county funding.
“We’re just giving them what they
asked for,” Roberts said. “That was
their budget. We didn’t make any
cuts.”
Commissioners said a decrease in
the amount of office space rented by
the count correlates to the decrease
in the public buildings budget. Since
the Department of Family and Chil
dren Services and the health depart
ment moved into their own buildings
other departments were located in
the county-owned Maple Street build
ings, saving money previously used
to pay for office leases.
Th 1987 budget for the tax assessors
office included about SIOO,OOO for ae
rial photographs and map updating
for use in reassessing property,
according to chief appraiser James
Payne. That expense will not be in
curred in 1988, and is partially re
sponsible for the budget decrease.
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CUMMING F.D.I.C. (Atl.) 522-3744
Income projections show that com
missioners expect to collect $1,853,054
in ad valorem taxes this year that will
help cover the 1988 budget expenses.
Commissioners are also counting on
$479,220 from the collection of back
taxes as an income source for 1988, a
figure tax commissioner Bobby Gil
bert said appears to be an overesti
mation.
“I think they would have been wise
to use lower figures,” Gilbert said. “I
don’t think we can come up with that
kind of money with about a million
dollars or less left (in uncollected
back taxes).
“The county only receives 17.3 per
cent of all collected back taxes.”
The top dollar amount of back taxes
that the county can collect and use
toward the 1988 budget is $350,000, the
tax commissioner said. A more rea
listic range is between $225,000 and
$285,000, he added.
If a difference does develop be
tween the amount of back taxes col
lected and the figure anticipated
when the budget was drafted, the
shortfall will be covered by the
amount of sales tax revenue the
county collects, according to commis
sioner Bennett.
“We counted on $2.5 million from
the one percent local option sales tax
for this year, and we’ve projected
that same amount for 1988,” Bennett
said. “We ought to collect about a
half-million more than that.”
This year’s tax revenue has al
ready reached the $2.3 million mark,
with the busy holiday season still
ahead, Bennett added.
Commissioners said the only bud
get area where they anticipate
change is the line-item figure allotted
the planning and development de
partment. Director Stevie Mills said
he requested approximately $363,000
the amount budgeted stands at
$342,542.
“We may be a little off on that
budget,” commissioner Harrington
said. “We may have to add about $lO,-
000 to it.”
SHERIFF Continued from 1A
“I don’t feel like we’re getting
adequate protection,” said Will Nix,
owner of Will Nix’s Grocery. “The
amount of times I see a patrol car
during the day is what I’m basing
that on. A lot of the time I don’t see
them at all.”
Nix, whose store is located on the
edge of Forsyth County bordering
Hall County, said that he would be
Facilities Plan
The Forsyth County Board of Education was given four proposals of school
facilities plans by the State Department of Education. Plans are based on a pro
jected enrollment in 1991-92 of 7,103. This year there are 7,056 students
enrolled.
1 2 3 4
PrODOSaIS Would leave schools as Would leave elementary Would change elementary Would have elementary
“ are, K-6, 7-9, and 10-12 schools K-6; make Otwell schools to K-5, create mid- schools at K-5; North and
with these additional 7-8; North and South would die schools, 6-8 at North, Otwell at 6-8; Forsyth
classrooms needed: become 8-12; and the high South and Otwell; house County High, 9-12; and
Chestatee, 11; Big Creek, school, 8-12 Elementary 9-12 in Forsyth County turn South into a transitional
5; Coal Mountain, 2; Cum- schools would need same High, and create a new high middle and high school
ming, 7; Mashburn, 1; number of additional school Big Creek needs housing 6-12. Big Creek
Sawnee, 5; Forsyth County classrooms. State facilities 11 classrooms; Chestatee, needs 11 classrooms;
High, 10. directors would not recom- 9; and new high school, Chestatee, 9; and South,
mend this plan saying there 4 6 24
are not enough students for
three high schools.
COSt Total: $9,172,883 Total: $9,270,271 Total: $14,225,881 Total: $9,035,754
Estimates LoCal $2 ' 993,104 Local: $ 3 404 . 47 9 Local: $3,193,401 Local: $2,322,316
REACTION Continued from 1A
schools.
To apply for advanced funding
through the state Department of Edu
cation the board to make its decision
by Oct. 1.
Some parents at the meeting said
they would prefer the high school to
be at North Forsyth, saying that end
of the county is growing, too.
“We had a high school in the north
(Chestatee High) and it was taken
away. Why can’t we have one now?
The north side is going to grow faster
than the south because people want to
get away from the industries,” said
Mary Brookshire.
Brookshire and a group of other
parents from north Forsyth area rec
ommended a facilities plan to the
board last year which called for grad
ually turning both North and South
Forsyth into high schools.
Ann Sefzik, principal at Chestatee,
expects plenty of opposition from
community residents about the build
ing plan.
Others said they do not care where
the school goes, just that something is
being done to relieve overcrowding
willing to help fund a larger police
force.
“I’d definitely be willing to pay
more in taxes to get better service, he
said.
Jim Wood, a co-manager at the
Food Giant in the Lanier Village
shopping center said that he as also
noticed a shortage of sheriff’s offi
cers.
and to plan for future growth.
“I want to commend the board for
making a tough decision,” said Roger
Crow, president of the Cumming
/Forsyth County Chamber of Com
merce. “Education, together with
water and sewer, are necessary in the
economic factor and development of
the county’”
John Bradley, president of the high
school PTSA, and education commit
tee chairman for the Citizens Advi
sory Committee for the Master Plan,
said the county has taken a step in the
right direction.
“I feel good that at least something
is being done in the school system to
keep up with growth projections in
the county,” said Bradley. “Popula
tion projections have to be reviewed
constantly because the need for more
schools will just continue.”
Other parents are concerned that
sixth graders will be going to school
with high school seniors.
“What do you think the reaction is
going to be when you tell the parents
from Midway that you will put their
11-year-old in a school with 12th grad
“You never see any cops in the
parking lot here on Friday or Satur
day nights,” he said. “There are a lot
of people out here drinking.”
As of right now, according to For
rest, the sheriff’s department has a
total of 21 officers who take part in
patrolling the 260-square-mile
county.
“If you don’t have them you can’t
Open
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ers?” ask one parent at the meeting.
Board chairman Arthur Wright is
braced for this type of reaction. “Peo
ple with students in the sixth grade
are not concerned about money (in
choosing a facilities plan). All they
care about is keeping kids out of the
high school.”
Wright said that if schools were left
as they are, double sessions would be
inevitable.
With ninth graders moving back to
the high school establishing curric
ulum needs will be easier, said Janis
Drumm, counselor at Forsyth County
High.
Clarence Lambert, assistant super
intendent, who has been working on
the facilities study since its begin
ning, said he was just pleased to get a
decision by the board.
“The main emphasis all along was
to get the schools back in line with
QBE,” said Lambert. “To do this we
had to increase the size of some
schools and change the organization.
“It was the best decision, and the
board won’t have to call for a bond
referendum.”
put them out there,” he said.
These 21 officers are responsible
for three daily shifts seven days a
week, with days off and sick days, the
most patrolling are four or five and
the least is two.
“There are times when you have
two people covering a 260-square
mile county,” Forrest said. “That’s
scary.”
Circle M
24 hours
ALL LEAD FREE GASOLINES
Diesel Fuel - Truck Facilities
at Hwy 9 and McFarland Rd.
SCHOOL
Continued from 1A
tling with the same problems.”
The facilities plan has been in the
works for over a year. Lambert has
been working closely with Smith, Jim
Gurley, district director of facilities
studies, and Horace Fitzpatrick, of
the district facilities section, in devel
oping the school system’s five-year
plan. The group had hoped to finish in
the spring, but final paperwork was
not submitted to the state until June.
The report was not finalized until the
end of September.
Board members say the delay actu
ally helped them because this year’s
enrollment figures were used, giving
a higher student count and allowing
Forsyth County to have a second high
school.
In making its report, the state
predicted Forsyth County’s enroll
ment as 7,103 by 1991-92. This year’s
student enrollment is 7,053.
Of the proposals, both Gurley and
Smith said they would not recom
mend leaving the schools as they are,
or creating three separate high
schools. Neither of these plans meets
state recommendations, said Gurley.
In all four proposals the state rec
ommends the abandonment of two
buildings at Big Creek, and two at
Chestatee plus the gym. The board
just purchased 27 acres adjoining
Chestatee Elementary for building
projects. Big Creek and South have
land available.
In the meantime, Forsyth County’s
school building application must go
back to the state for further review
and to be submitted to the General
Assembly by January. Up until that
time the board can withdraw the
application, but cannot submit an
other one until next year.
C ITYcontinued from 1A
The city signed a “quick claim
deed” for the developers of the new
professional building being erected
across the street from the court
house. The deed gives builders an
easement to use the land east of the
building for sidewalks and an en
trance.
Finally, the city signed documents
formally accepting a $1 million loan
from the Georgia Environmental Fa
cilities Authority to help with the
water expansion project. As part of
the terms, the city receives a $182,000
grant, making the loan’s interest 3.8
percent.