Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
-FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, W 1
TAX, •atiaied from Page I.A
Gravitt and Roper owned m lota. until
March 1990 there are changes
marked “per BOTA” However there
are no minutes of any meeting be
tween the mayor and the board.
However county records show the
tax assessors claimed their regular
SSO per meeting pay for Feb. 26
Approximately 2-acre lots in the
West Industrial Park on Hwy 20 east
are valued at $37 OflO a piece. The
original evaluation of tnese lots after
the county-wide reappraise were be
tween $60,000 and $83,000. The base
value of industrial land in that area «
$40,000. The base land cost was
trimmed 50 percent by the Board of
Tax Assessors, because of topoerapci
cal concerns such as gullies.
However, in L9SG and before these
assessments, eight of the lots, approx
imately eight acres total, were sold at
$360,000.
The amendment states During the
meeting, it was determined mat. de
spite the $360,000 sale, and despite
the results of the comprehensive eval
uation ordered by this court the as
sessments of Gravitl and Ro per would
be lowered to one fourth of the origi
nal assessment amounts, and to ap
proximately one third of the actual
sale prices."
sales can have extenuating circum
stances such as the lay of the land or
adjoining property owners, said the
mayor
“I asked tor ail of my assessments to
be reduced along with everybody s in
the county.' said Gravitt who is presi
dent of Forsyte County Concerned
Taxpayers. T have publiciy stated I
would seii my land for its assessed
value now "
“I have fought nigh property taxes
ail my life and will continue as long as
I nave breath in me." said the mayor
There are several otner examples,
sa.d Jordan. However, the mayors
case .s the only secret meeting he had
documented sc rar
AIRPORT
Caatinaed from Page LA
"nost favorable site for a second Atlan
ta airport
The ARC study recommended a site
in Jackson County as its first choice.
Following Forsyth County a site in
Monroe and Lamar counties, and at
the Paulding-Poik county border
Only the site in Monroe and Lamar
counties is south of Atlanta Resi
dents in Jackson. Forsyth and Daw
son counties are vehemently opposed
to having the airport located in their
counties.
At the joint committee's most re
cent meeting last Tuesday, officials
from the FAA and Delta Airlines ex
pressed their views on a second air
port and the possibility of forming a
state authority
By spending 20 years in debate over
the need for a second airport .Atlanta
may have already lost its standing as
the nation s domestic and interna
tional air transportation center, an
FAA official said Tuesday.
While Charlotte. Orlando and other
cities nave been working to become
hubs of air transportation. '.Atlanta
did nothing for 20 years but sit and
twiddle its thumbs." FAA district
manager Samuel .Austin told the joint
House and Senate airport study
committee.
“ ..I would submit Atlanta probably
has already lost its edge because of
the existence of these other hubs." he
said.
Austin's testimony before the com
mittee was the strongest to date tn
support of a second airport, said state
Rep. Dick Lane. D-East Point co
chair of the Joint Georgia .Airport De
velopment Authority Study-
Committee.
"I guess that was typical of a federal
bureaucrat" said Barnett about Aus
tin's comment ‘They don't have to
look at the political realities of the
thing"
However. Barnett said he was sur
prised the Delta representative who
spoke was not "real gung ho" for the
second airport
"They are the ones who would have
to pay tor the thing" he said.
Harold Be vis. Deltas vice presi
dent for public affairs, testified earli
er that ‘before the airlines would be)
willing to commit to a SI billion air
port we want to maximize what we've
got" The airlines' first objective is
construction of a fifth runway for com
muter flights, but the General .Assem
bly passed a bill earlier this year that
prohibited the acquisition of any air
port property, he said.
Delta s Bevins testified before the
committee that the airlines at Harts
fieki are opposed to the creation of a
state airport authority, in large part
because they have no desire to jeopar
dize the harmonious relationship that
exists between Hartsfieid and the city
of Atlanta The city technically runs
Hartsfieid. although no city funds
support its operation. Bevins said
The ‘great relationship" between
the city and the airlines has helped
make Hartsfieid the largest single
hub in the world." he said.
“It (Hartsfieid) is continuing to
grow. It is still the state s economic
engine." Bevins said.
Gvrnnett Daily Setcs reporter San
ry Badertseher contributed to tte
sot* }
Secret meetings are significant in
this case because adoption of tae L3eS
digest in a secret meeting was what
started the whole mess, sa d
Jordan.
“This wncle Imgacon is not about
personalities. It is about doing it
right." he said.
A.enough an auditor is requested,
the amendment to the case requests
the court not hold a hearing until me
current board of assessors nas sad
tune to take action on tne matter if it
chooses.
All such actions undermine the
court's direction as a result of tins
:ase to have the assessors equalize
tne tax burden for ail businesses and
residents.
“It is apparent that a substantia,
possibility exists tnat the ecnrprecen
sive property evaluation ordered by
this court m this case, and funded at
taxpayer expense, nas been compro
mised and subverted by decisions
made by the Defendants in violation
of the Open meetings Law as set rortr.
originally in this litigation thereby
preventing public mow ledge of the
actions with approprate challenges
thereto.' stated the ammendment
QUARRY Continued from Page LA
The Bishops bought their Forsyth
County home last June.
“We have everything invested in
our homes and we donf want to lose
that." said Bishop.
The group is forming committees to
look into environmental issues and
hoping to get tne U S. Army Corps of
Engineers and environmental groups
involved because the site is close to
the Chattahoochee River.
They are also planning to hire a
lawyer The residents are not fighting
to keep the land from being zoned for
mining, but Hoover has filed a case
against the county claiming that min
ing can be done on agricultural land.
The company alleges the county im
properly enacted zoning ordinances
in 1986 voiding all subsequent
amendments.
Although the company ls not work
ing through a zoning issue where it
must try to cooperate with adjoining
landowners. Hoover attorney William
Woodson Galloway said the company
would be glad to meet with landown
ers to disseminate information
“It is obviously a very emotional is
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ether edition Skelton explained.
“So I said and that also wraps up a
year and two months _"
Skelton, like Daugherty, also sand
ed in a written resignation Both are
now searching for employment
Tve been back and tbrth to the un
employment office." Daugherty said.
"Since I resigned. I have to have a
hearing to see if I can get
unemployment"
Mrs. McCollum, who a.ong with her
husband Van McCollum owns WEVE.
said Friday the two ex-employees
never approacned ner with their con
cerns before gems public
McCollum also denied ever making
reference to real estate or zoning fa
vors when dealing with staff mem
bers. a.trough she admitted political
alignment with city officials.
“I have of course told them that ev
eryone has political ties and they
snow the mayor and some others are
personal mends of mine." she stated.
“We in fact told them time and time
again never to favor our friends m the
news."
Monday the mayor explained he
and McCollum are part of a Cumnung
real estate investment corporation.
sue." said Galloway.
The company already has plans to
make the quarry impact as little as
possible on neighboring landowners.
he said.
"We have already built in signifi
cant buffers and earthen berms and
blasting will be toward the center of
the property." said Galloway
The blasting is minimal, said Gallo
way. Extensive engineering studies
are required to make sure nearby
property owners are not adversely af
fectW. he said.
Since the matter is in iitigation the
citizens' group may join the suit said
Galloway. However they are repre
sented by the county commissioners
who have unanimously opposed the
quarry.
'We are a long way from anything
happening on it Litigation is a slow
process." he said.
He estimated that no decision
would be made in the courts for at
least six months.
Cuanmng Group Associations. Inc
McCollum has signed legal docu
ments concerning real estate (teals
with tne mayor and others as Presi
dent of the Rieves Corporation.
The station owner stated she does
not pian to sue either former employ
ee. and denied that threats concern
ing lawsuits against the two were ever
made.
Daugherty claimed Monday he was
threatened with litigation during a
meeting with Mr McCollum on his fi
nal day of employment The alleged
threats coupled with the political
pressure caused rum Co resign.
“My husband never threatened any
one witn anything," McCollum stated.
Mrs. McCollum also said she has al
ways insisted on equal air time for
both sides of an issue during the news.
She cited an instance about a year ago
when Marcus Mashburn. Jr was op
posing Gravitt for the position of may
or in a city election. McCollum said
both candidates were featured on the
air waves of WHNX
However, m the earlier press con
ference. both Daugherty and Skelton
claimed the owner did not want Mash
burn on the air at aIL but reluctantly
agreed to invite him to debate with
the incumbent
Mrs. McCollum said the fact that
County Commissioner Chairman Bar
ry Hiligartner was present at the
press conference made the former
employee's claims look suspicious.
.Although Daugherty said he "came
to Barry as somebody Tve covered."
McCollum called the scene "fishy"
and “political" instead of an employ
ee dispute.
The AM 1170 station owner said the
two empty positions left behind have
not yet been filled, but the company is
“interviewing and looking."
Amplification
In the Wednesday. Oct 23. an arti
cal concerning a WHNE radio em
ployee press conference the state
ment appeared: ‘Courthouse records
also show that in .Aug 1989 Gravitt.
Aderhold. Lipscomb and The Rieves
Corporation and Lanier Bank and
Trust engaged in a real estate deal to
each receive one-forth the interest
from a tract of land in the city." The
Lamer Bank and Trust was serving as
the legal grantee m the transaction
We regret any confusion which might
have been caused without the ex
panded explanation
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Though unemployed, both Daugh
erty and Skelton said they feel they
made the right decision.
‘I had gotten no negative feedback
from my Listeners.” Skelton said. Tm
pretty pleased about how everyone
MaE] DCjrE] Rcontznued from Page I.A
until 1336 when Luther Wheeler took
over Ira Sewell was sheriff until 1945.
when the ledger's records end.
Records at the Forsyth County
courthouse only date back to 1956 A
1973 courthouse fire may have de
stroyed records kept before this date.
Payne's Mother operated Daisy
Mae s for nearly half a century before
recently selling the restaurant Payne
was helping clean the place to pre
pare it for file changing of hands when
he ran across the chronical.
Except for file worn cover and torn
edges, the brown book doesn't appear
to be very different from the modem
day records which can be found at the
Sheriff s Department or the County
Courthouse. However, a turn of the
pages reveal how drastically things
have changed since 1913.
For example, records show in 1915
a man was arrested on charges of bas
tardy. or fathering a child out of wed
lock. Under the “How Discharged 1 "
column, the word “married" was writ
ten. suggesting a wedding was punish
ment for the unlawful act
It seems even marriage couldn't
keep a roaming man out of jail either
In 1917. a man who committed adul
tery was sentenced to the chair, gang,
a form of punishment where prison
ers were bound together with chains
while laboring
In 1914 a man whose race was "col
ored" was also sent to the chain gang
although his charge is not specifically
stated.
Forsyth County News
Customer Service Policy
Miss your paper o We hope
not. but if you subscribe and
live in Forsyth County we will
deliver a replacement copy to
you.
On Sunday, call us from 8
a.m. to noon. We will have
carriers available to deliver
has been so supportive
"I still think ft was a good decision."
Daugherty said. "It was the right thing
to do To stay in a situation that I feel
is corrupt is not worth it
It seems driving under the influ
ence of alcohol was a crime a quarter
of a century ago. although the punish
ment seems trivial when compared to
today's price to pay
In cahgraphy styled handwriting
the record shows that in 1917 officials
seized a car and liquor from a man
arrested for reckless driving To be
released from jail, he was charged a
nominal fee of $2.50.
As the prohibition years rolled
around and liquor was outlawed, the
number of inmates at the county jail
increased.
Those caught possessing the forbid
den drink were released on bond for
$5.
.And finally, the ledger shows $420
released one from jail when charged
with murder in 1927
The ancient brown book was donat
ed by the family of the late Leon Cook,
who was part-owner of Daisy Mae's
restaurant It will be passed to Don
Shadburn. Forsyth County Historian,
who will secure it in a local govern
ment building
Concord Baptist
selling cookbook
Concord Baptist has a new cook
book. "The Joy of Cooking and it is
now on sale ($10.00). To reserve your
copy, call 889-6147 or 887-2001.
your paper. On Wednesday you
can call from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. if
you did not receive your
newspaper and we will deliver it
to you on that day.
Our office hours are Monday
through Friday from 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m. The phone number is
887-3126 or 523-7303.