Newspaper Page Text
Page C6
The Oglethorpe Echo
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Sheriff???s Board will need new member
By Evan Smoak
The Oglethorpe Echo
The Oglethorpe County Sher
iff???s Foundation will look for a
new board member early next
year.
The board members are Sher
iff David Gabriel, Rocky Miller
and Tina White. Gabriel said he is
stepping down from his position
on the board after one year.
???When you join the board, it
gives you a chance to see the prob
lems of Oglethorpe County first
hand,??? he said. ???It???s a great way to
help your community.???
The Sheriff???s Foundation was
created after Georgia???s LESS
More Info
County residents can defer
their state taxes to the
Oglethorpe County Sher
iff's Foundation. Details
are at oglethorpesheriff.
org/less-crime-act-tax-
deferment/.
Crime Act in 2022, which al
lows ???individual taxpayers and
businesses to claim a tax cred
it for directly supporting lo
cal public safety efforts through
contributing to qualified law en
forcement foundations,??? accord
ing to the Georgia Senate Press
Office.
In essence, taxpayers can choose
to have their state tax money redi
rected to the Sheriff???s Office.
The foundation board then de
cides how to use those funds. In
the past, money has been used to
???buy equipment, provide train
ing or fund other programs in your
community to increase safety,???
Gabriel said.
The board meets quarterly with
communication expected between
those meetings. If interested, con
tact Gabriel at 706-510-7102 or
email him at dgabriel@oglethor-
|pecountyga.gov|
State needs highway funding hike by 2050
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA ??? Georgia will
need to spend at least $81 billion
on transportation improvements
by 2050 to keep people and freight
moving on highways that other
wise will become increasingly
congested, state Commissioner of
Transportation Russell McMurry
said last week.
???There???s a lot to be done,??? Mc
Murry told members of the State
Transportation Board toward the
end of a presentation heavy with
statistics.
Manufacturing, agricultural pro
duction and warehouse distribu
tion are expected to grow expo
nentially in Georgia by 2050, re
sulting in a doubling of freight
tonnage from 2015, the last time
Georgia lawmakers passed major
transportation funding legislation.
The increased traffic that
growth will bring will cause the
costs businesses will be forced to
absorb to rise from $14.4 million
in 2015 to $33.3 million by 2015,
a 131% increase, McMurry said.
The state embarked on a major
transportation improvement pro
gram in 2016 that includes signif
icant upgrades to interstate high
way interchanges, widening of in
terstate highways, construction of
commercial vehicle lanes and last-
mile road improvements near the
Port of Savannah.
Work also is underway to widen
roads and build new interchang
es surrounding two major electric-
vehicle plants east of Atlanta and
west of Savannah.
But of the $81 billion in work
McMurry outlined, only $26 billion
is in the state???s pipeline. McMurry
said planning for the projects not
drawn up as yet must begin soon.
???The projects we build and de
velop take a long time,??? he said.
???It???s easily a decade to do big
things.???
McMurry said other states that
are spending more per capita on
transportation projects than Geor
gia are getting the money to pay
for those improvements from bud
get surpluses.
Georgia businesses could join
forces with the state Department
of Transportation in pushing for
major new funding commitments
for highway improvements.
McMurry said he already has
given the presentation to the Geor
gia Chamber of Commerce.
Merry Christmas!
The- be^t cosher
all ij&ar lor^l ^
O BRAND
BBQ
1140 Athens Rd, Crawford, GA 30630
(706) 743-7000 . |GBrandBBQ.com|
Hours: Monday - Wednesday Closed
Thursday - Saturday 10:00AM - 9:00PM - Sunday 11:00AM-3:00PM
The Rowdy Rooster
123 E. Main Street, Lexington, GA 30648
Saturdays, 9 am - 2 pm
Bakery, deli, local art, wine & beer, GA products
GoHedge
???PLANT RENTALS
HAND PRUNING
POLE SAW WORK
706.247*5947
CHAD MILLER
contact@GoHedge.net
|GoHecfge.nef|
fa)
MV
Hours 10am-8pm Friday and Saturday
Happy Holidays!
Sanders??? Down Home B-B-Q
3078 Elberton Rd., Hwy. 77
-Vesta Community-
Serve Delicious B.B.Q.
Brunswick Stew, and other foods
Carlton Sanders We Cater! 706-340-4530
Steve Sanders 678-637-1649
May your holidays &el
LILLILD WITH TMfl 5UAUTY
or THE. SEASON
Rayle EMC
Washington Lexington Greensboro
706-678-2116 706-743-8107 706-453-2268
HOME IS
WHERE THE
HEART IS
May yours be filled with
peace, love and contentment
this holiday season.
Mixon Used Cars
& Body Shop
Crawford - 743-5500
* * * Dawn Johnson * * *
SCARBOROUGH
Elect Dawn Johnson
Scarborough Tax
Commissioner
VoteDawnforOC2024@gmail.com
I am excited to announce that I will be
running for Oglethorpe County Tax
Commissioner. I look forward to the
opportunity to continue to serve the
citizens of Oglethorpe County, just in a
different capacity from past years.
I am the daughter of Marion Chandler
Johnson and the late Barry Johnson and was raised, along with my brother, David, in
the Sandy Cross Community. I graduated from OCHS and then North Georgia College
where I earned a Bachelor???s Degree in Sociology.
I grew up driving the tractor, feeding the cows, selling pecans, peas and watermelons in
the front yard until I started working at The Commercial Bank with my Daddy when
I turned 16.1 worked there part time throughout high school and some college years.
Then, I worked at Regions Bank in Gainesville in Customer Service, then as a teller,
working up to Senior Teller. While working full time, I went back to school at night in
2000 at North Georgia Tech in Clarkesville to obtain my certification and license as an
Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate. I continued working full-time at the bank
and started working part-time on the ambulance.
As an EMT, I worked a number of years at Lumpkin County Fire/EMS, before starting
at Oglethorpe County EMS in 2007 where I have worked for over 16 years. Again, I re
turned to school in 2012 through Dawson County Fire and obtained my license as a Na
tionally Registered Paramedic which I have held since that time. I currently serve as the
B shift Supervisor, Quality Assurance Supervisor (which basically means that I review
all paperwork from every ambulance call to insure proper procedure is followed with
treatment and that paperwork is in order) and as the Emergency Medical Responder
Coordinator. Oglethorpe County is so blessed
to have a great group of volunteers through EMR
and Fire!
My husband, Danny, is a Paramedic in Madison
County and works part-time here in Oglethorpe
County. We are doing our best to raise our three
children to be productive and respectful.
We live in the Beaverdam Community and, as
a family, we love to travel and camp at the lake.
We are known for funny and unusual adven
tures! I would appreciate your support, prayers
and good thoughts in the future. I look forward
to meeting many of you to personally ask for
your vote and answer any questions that you
may have. I would love the opportunity to con
tinue serving Oglethorpe County as your next
Tax Commissioner!
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE