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Forsyth County Police arrest 10 in drug bust, please see page 3A VOLU/V JUMBER46 Md"i '''-1 '• • ip£ i Qii -’'-^•ty^if^M '■■JB|jC. Vjl % f?; ;|| '" § ■■’ *■••* *. . ’ •■’•{*- -'4Ek 1 . t , *• UjL ... ft- - ■’;'tß L mi ,- .■ ' r sr* , £. , T*.’>7 ™ - -**> aiiCA' ***& < iA tifli _ Staff photo - Kristin Jeffries Almost summer Brittany Romig, 3, left, and her sister Elizabeth, 6. rejoiced in a summer-like day at Mary Alice Park last week. They were accompanied to the park by their parents, Herb and Libby Romig of Cumming. Georgia Proteins to conduct nitrate study on Six Mile Creek Previous studies found Nitrates By Brad Hundt Staff Writer The owner of Georgia Proteins is paying for a $50,000 study of nitrate levels in Six Mile Creek to dispel what he says are unfounded fears about the nitrate levels. Tommy Bagwell, owner of Georgia Proteins is initiating the study, he said, aftertwo previous studies ofthe creek by North Georgia College biol ogist Mac Callaham and the state of Georgia found unusual levels of ni trates in the creek. “Our position is, yes, there are ni trates in the creek, but the creek is in good shape, Lake Lanier is in good shape. We want to study the long term impact of it,” said Bagwell. Both studies found the creek con tained higher levels of nitrate than would be found in a stream that car ried no industrial discharge. While Georgia Proteins, a processor of chicken byproducts, does not empty into the creek, nitrate residue could INSIDE Abby 3C Birth 5A Church Briefs 5C Classified 7C Dawson Co. News 6A Deaths 10A Editorials 4A Events BC&9C Food&Nutrition 1C For the Record 10A Friends&Neighbors 3A Horoscope 3C Joyce Jordan 4A On Campus 7A Sports 1B Forsyth County News “That’s one of the pret tiest little creeks in north Georgia,’’ Bagwell said. “We haven’t broken any laws. I’m no scientist, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that creek.” be coming from the plant or irriga tion fields, Bagwell said. Callaham’s study found there were four parts of nitrate per million in the creek. Ten parts per million is the level where drinking water be comes unacceptable, although the ceiling sometimes goes up to 15 parts per million in drinking water standards. The year-long study has already begun, Bagwell said. It is being car ried out by David Bain of Auburn University. “That’s one of the prettiest little creeks in north Georgia,” Bagwell I J | l i cj u? Bart Simpson WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1990-CUMMING, GA. 30130-32 PAGES 4 SECTIONS Tax reassessment finally finished Tax bills due next week By Kristin Jeffries Staff Writer New property assessments are ready to mail but tax assessors contin ue to stall the mailing of 1989 figures. The board is waiting for a reply from the state Supreme Court on its motion for a rehearing on the deci sion handed down against them in May. The decision calls for a re-billing for 1989 taxes based on the new values. All seven justices concurred in the decision against the tax assessors. “We are expecting to hear some thing any moment,” said counsel to the board Beau Stubbs. The Supreme Court could take one of three courses - it could deny a re hearing, it may make written changes right away or it could allow for new oral arguments, said Stubbs. “Being realistic with you it is com mon for them to deny rehearings,” said Stubbs. The values from the 15-month reas sessment were submitted to the Board of Tax Commissioners Monday by William P. Ferriss, ofthe W. P. Fer riss Company hired to complete the reappraisal. The board will meet Fri day to recommend acceptance or re jection of the new values. If accepted new values could be mailed as early as next week. “We feel that our values represent fair market value,” said Ferriss, add ing the reappraisal is complete ex cept for submitting the new values to the public for review. Anyone who believes their values, whether 1989 or 1990, are incorrect may call and set up an informal hear ing with the board up to 30 days after the bills are mailed. All the assessment information for both years is in the computer and ei ther year could be billed with minor changes, said Ferriss. “Ninety-eight “From my own feelings of seeing the creek run through my property, It’s my opinion that creek is not being affected in any way,” he said. said. “We haven’t broken any laws. I’m no scientist, but there ain’t noth ing wrong with that creek.” Previous news reports, Bagwell said, have painted the creek as “a toxic waste dump.” Bagwell said he owns property on the creek, has a boat anchored on it, and has caught healthy fish from Six Mile Creek. “From my own feelings of seeing the creek run through my property, It’s my opinion that creek is not being affected in any way,” he said. Fertilized golf courses near the creek and leaking septic tanks could also be contributing to the nitrate levels, Bagwell added. Most school administrators think ‘Bart’s’ not worth hassle “Hey, man, don’t have a cow,” By Brad Hundt Staff Writer Hey, man, Bart Simpson is alright with Forsyth County school administrators. Well, kind of. On any given day, at least a dozen students at any of Forsyth’s elementary or middle schools will be wearing T-shirts featuring spike-haired mischief maker Bart Simpson, the main character of the Fox Television Network cartoon series “The Simpsons.” But the apparel has run into problems with school administrators in other parts ofthe country, where students have been prohibited from wear ing them. The most common complaints about the shirts are what Simpson is saying on them: phrases like “Hey, man, don’t have a cow,” “I’m Bart Simp- to 95 percent ofthe values will remain the same for 1990 as 1989 ” No matter the year, new values will be up 40 to 60 percent over those used since 1982 for the basis of the tax digest There could be a billion dollar tax digest, said chief appraiser James Payne. “Some areas moved way up be cause we had a lot of construction,” said Ferriss. Assessors quiet commissioners’ doubts on agricultural 2 zoning By Kristin Jeffries Staff Writer The Board of Tax Assessors sought to set at rest commissioners' concerns that they would disobey state law by not considering the new agricultural 2 zoning in setting property values. The blanket zoning, including 137 parcels, was adopted by county commissioners Monday. It creates another agricultural zone to protect active farms. It will not come into play in the taxing process until 1991. Commissioners Michael McGaughey, Michael Bennett and Barry Hillgartner were concerned property owners would not be taxed ap propriately under the new zoning. “I’m a farmer myself and I’d like to give them another 10 percent break, but this action doesn’t give us the power,” said Billy Evans, chairman of the Board of Tax Assessors. To qualify for A-2 zoning, parcels must already have state preferen tial assessment which taxes them on 30 percent instead of the normal 40 percent of fair market value. The purpose of the new zoning is to protect the future of farms, delineate between agricultural land held for speculation and working farms, and more properly tax agricultural land, explained Beau Stubbs, counsel to the county. There is nothing in the ordinance which requires the assessors to give a specific tax break to A-2 parcels, said Stubbs. “I’m interested in that they take a true look at what an A-2 zoning does to the land values," said County Commissioner Barry Hillgartner. The property must be taxed according to fair market value, said board member Robert Wallace. The fair market value depends on how easily the agricultural land is rezoned, explained W. P. Ferriss, head of the company hired to do a county-wide re-appraisal. Because the preferential treatment assessment requires farmers to sign up for it for 10 years or suffer a penalty, rezoning of A-2 parcel to more expensive zoning would not be frequent “It splits agriculture into two districts with the second taxed at a lower value, but the first one taxed at a higher value,” explained Hillgartner. ’ p X House plant Kudzu seems to be overtaking an old house on Matt sights are common in that part of the county Highway in northeast Forsyth County. Such picturesque Thornton also called Bartmania “a symptom of being in the middle grades," and feeling immense peer pressure to wear the latest faddish clothes. son. Who the hell are you?,” and, most notably, “Underachiever and proud of it" Forsyth school administrators contacted last week said they weren’t exactly thrilled with the shirts - but would still allow students to wear them. “They could be doing worse things than wearing Bart Simpson T-shirts," said Vemette Studdard, princial of Sawnee Elementary School. “You know, the more we say about Bart Simpson and these folks, the more we’d give them a flag to J He cautioned the percentage in crease should not determine the fair ness ofthe new value, but its proximi ty to fair market value. The recent Supreme Court ruling was the result of an appeal filed by the Board of Tax Assessors after it re ceived Mills’ ruling Dec. 14, 1989. to considerthe 1989 property tax bills as temporary notices. Another billing or credit would be made after the 1990 county-wide property re-assessment was complete. The plaintiffs named in the Decem ber motion were Robert Meyer, Rob ert Williams and Tommy Russell as members of the Board of Equaliza tion. They said the 1989 digest did not comply with an earlier order requir ing greater tax equity The 1989 case named the board of Tax Assessors and County Commis sioners as defendants. The appeal was another step in the four-year dis pute over property’ taxes in the county It began in 1986 when the BOE or dered tax assessors to complete a county-wide re-assessment to rectify extreme inequities among property classes. The process was completed in 1988, but when property tax bills were sent, many property’ owners appealed to the tax assessors and eventually filed a suit against the tax board. The board rescinded the new as sessments and resigned. The BOE filed its first suit when the new tax assessors used the 1987 digest with improvements added as the 1988 tax digest Mills' order for a re-assessment be fore the submission of the 1989 tax digest was the outcome of that suit The tax assessors went ahead and mailed bills because the re-assess ment could not be completed in time, which brought on the BOE’s final suit and Mills’ order to consider the 1989 tax bill as temporary. If Mills’ decision is again upheld by the Supreme Court, property owners will be re-billed or sent refunds for 1989 based on the reappraisal just completed. If the Supreme Court overturns its earlier decision, the new property values will make up the 1990 tax di gest and 1989 taxes, which have al ready been billed, will stand. The system-wide policy regarding what's printed on T-shirts is fairly loose, said Ann Sefzik, princi pal of Chestatee Elementary School. It's usually left up to the principal of each school to decide what is offensive. For example. T-shirts advertis ing alcohol or promoting any sort of drug are off limits. “The more rules you have about dress, you could spend your entire life dealing with it." said Otwell Middle School Principal Judy Thornton. “We have no problems with it I think there are some things that are best dignified with no response.” Thornton also called Bartmania “a symptom of being in the middle grades.” and feeling immense peer pressure to wear the latest faddish clothes. “I hate anybody making a hero out of a deliber ate underachiever,” said Steve Benson, principal of Coal Mountain Elementary School. “We have just not mentioned it Sometimes the less said the better.” Ple'«e see SIMPSON, page 2A 25 CENTS staff photo - By Brad Hundt