Newspaper Page Text
Forsyth CountvNews
Vol. 94, No. 121
Board delays business tax-break decision
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
Concern about the consequences of allow
ing a property tax break for businesses that
invest to expand or build facilities in Forsyth
County led commissioners Monday to post
pone a request from the chamber of commerce.
On July 21. Joni Owens, president and CEO
of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of
Commerce, asked the board to allow business
es that spend at least $1 million on capital
improvements which include new equip-
County pays final respects to community leader
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At right, pallbearers
lead the flag-draped
casket carrying the
remains of Chief
Superior Court
Judge Stan Gault
into First Baptist
Church of Cumming
on Saturday. July 26.
An estimated 850 to
900 mourners filled
the church sanctuary
to pay final respects
to Gault, who died
July 23 after serving
more than 19 years
on the Superior
Court bench.
Photos/David McGregor
Forsyth United Way teams
up with Dawson County
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
The United Way of Forsyth
County plans to enter into an admin
istrative agreement with Dawson
County to help manage donations to
some Dawson nonprofit organiza
tions.
The donations would be separated
and remain in whichever county they
were collected, according to Ruth
Goode, executive director of United
Way of Forsyth County.
Members of the Dawson County
community formed an advisory com
mittee and considered starting their
own branch of the organization.
However, after more than a year of
studies and discussions, the commit
tee decided to pursue an alliance
with Forsyth County for a variety of
reasons, including cutting overhead
expenses.
“They were going to begin their
Missed paper policy:
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Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1
p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3126.
Copyright € 2X3 Forsyth County Nows
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Aw'odoor 1 '
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 190<
ment and building facilities to receive al5
percent property tax break over a period of five
years.
The county currently grants a property tax
break totaling 20 percent during a l()-year peri
od for investments of $lO million or more.
Commissioners placed the item on
Monday’s agenda for discussion and possible
approval after Owens' presentation.
However, further information presented
Monday led District 2 Commissioner A.J.
Pritchett to ask the board to delay action on the
matter until the Aug. 11 meeting.
own United Way at one time, but
they found they couldn't do that and
be efficient," Goode said.
The chairman of the Dawson
committee, David Mancuso, echoed
those sentiments.
“What we’ve determined is that
it’s not efficient in returning funds to
the community in services," Man
cuso said. “This is a more expedient
way to begin the process."
The partnership has not been
formed yet. Members of the Dawson
community are scheduled to meet
with Goode on Thursday, July 31, at
4 p.m. at United Community Bank in
downtown Dawsonville and the com
mittee will decide whether to accept
the agreement to merge with the
Forsyth branch of the United Way.
In general, the agreement places
most of the burden of Dawson
See UNITED, Page 2A
INDEX
Abby 3B
Classifieds.— 108
Deaths ooMOOOoowooooooMoooooowoooeooeo 2A
Education 7A
Horoscope 3B
Legals €•••••••• .4B
Opinion OOOOOOOOMMMOMOOOOOMOMM ~BA
Sports IB I.
a
WEDNESDAY July 30, 2003
Forsyth set
to host fast-pitch
tournament.
Page IB
Pritchett said he needed to review a model
presented by Mark Hamilton, chairman-elect of
the chamber board. The model included esti
mates of costs and benefits the county could
expect if the business incentive policy is imple
mented. 1
“I want to go through it and understand it
better," Pritchett said after the meeting.
“Sometimes their assumptions [in models)
might be questionable."
Pritchett made it clear he wasn’t question
ing the chamber’s model, but was referring to
models in general.
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Photo/Audra Perry
Cheerleaders at camp
South Forsyth High School freshman Jillian Eaton leads a group
of 7-year-olds in a cheer during the opening day of the school’s
weeklong cheerleader mini-camp Monday. See more photos on
Page SA.
Columnist Bill Shipp
shares his perspective
of Georgia politics.
PageßA
Before the board unanimously postponed
the subject, District 4 Commissioner Marcie
Kreager said small businesses are the backbone
of the county and called the incentive policy a
“wonderful idea.”
However, not everyone who attended
Monday’s meeting had as favorable an opinion.
During the board’s public comment period,
Dave Richard, chairman of the Forsyth County
Libertarian Party, said approving the policy
would put more tax burden on home owners.
See BOARD, Page 2A
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W July 28 r 1071.35 ft
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Law in the low 70s.
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S. Forsyth
family hurt
in Sunday
accident
By Steven H. Pollak
Staff Writer
A south Forsyth family was
expected to return home from vari
ous area hospitals on Monday while
charges were pending against an
Auburn man following a deadly acci
dent Sunday morning on Hwy. 20 in
Gwinnett County.
According to Cpl. Dan Huggins
of the Gwinnett County Police
Department, a Dexter Farm box truck
driven by the Auburn man. 19-year
old Courtney Ellis, was heading west
on Hwy. 20 near Henry Bailey Road
in northwest Gwinnett at approxi
mately 7:10 a.m. Sunday when it
crossed the centerline of traffic and
struck a green 2002 Ford Excursion
carrying seven people. ..
The driver of the Excursion, 45-
year-old Joseph Dixon of Cumming,
swerved right in an attempt to avoid
the collision but the box truck struck
the right side of the vehicle. The
Excursion overturned after being hit.
Huggins said.
A 14-year-old Powder Springs
girl who was a passenger in the
Excursion, Sarah Holt, was killed in
the wreck. The victim was wearing a
seatbelt, police reported.
On Monday, Huggins said
See WRECK, Page 3A
Board spares
home buyers
from unusual
‘neighbors’
By Nicole Green
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Board of
Commissioners approved on Monday
three rezoning applications for con
servation subdivisions that ensured
future residents will be forewarned
of nearby airports and livestock prior
to purchase.
In a unanimous vote by the board.
30.311 acres were rezoned from agri
cultural to restricted single-family
residential property to be developed
as a subdivision tying into the exist
ing Sedgefield neighborhood. The
proposed 58 homes, which will be
connected to a county sewer line,
will have a minimum of 1.900 square
feet of heated space and two-car
garages.
The Ridge greenspace conserva
tion subdivision developed by McCar
Development Corp, will be located
near an existing private airport on
Stoney Point Road near its intersec-
Staff Writer
See ZONING, Page 2A