Newspaper Page Text
The LeS County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown newspaper of Randall and Donna Hetland
Volume XXX - Number 44
Leesburg, Georgia - - July 2, 2008
Fifty Cents
Raise Millage Rate
Submitted Photo
A heavy downpour of rain Friday afternoon filled up the ditches in front
of Wendy’s and Dollar General and caused water to run onto U.S. 19.
Lee County property own
ers will see an increase in
their school taxes. The board
of education voted four to
one during their called meet
ing to increase the millage
rate by .65 mill. While the
millage rate for maintenance
and operation will increase,
the board will roll back the
millage rate levied for bond
indebtedness. Dr. Robert A.
Clay, vice chairman of the
board and former school
superintendent, voted against
the tax increase.
Clay said that the taxpayers
are having to tighten their
Troy Golden To Seek School Board Seat
Troy Golden recently quali
fied to run for a seat on the
Lee County School Board
(Leesburg District). School
Board elections will be held
November 4, 2008.
Troy has served as the
Vice-Chairman of the Lee
County Planning Commis
sion since 2005. Addition
ally, Troy has been serving
on the Lee County Utilities
Authority since 2007.
Troy is married to Glyna
Golden who is active in Lee
County’s PTO and served last
year as the PTO Vice Presi
dent at Twin Oaks Elemen
tary. Glyna is a stay at home
mom. Their son, Adam, is
a Twin Oaks Elementary
student.
Troy has volunteered the
past two years as a Den
Leader for the Cub Scouts
at Leesburg United Meth
odist Church. Additionally
Troy has served on various
community volunteer boards
including the Lee County
Comprehensive Plan Steering
Committee, the Lee County
Impact Lee Committee, and
the Southwest Georgia Coun
cil Boy Scouts of America.
Troy Golden has been
employed as a public service
lawyer since 1999 and has
worked in
the posi
tions of
Assistant
District
Attorney,
Chief Assis
tant Public
Defender,
and Re
gional Drug
Prosecutor.
Troy
recently ex
plained his
interest in
serving on
the School
Board:
“My wife and I both come
from families that honor and
respect the profession of pub
lic education. My father is a
retired teacher and my wife’s
grandfather was a teacher
and school superintendent.
I am dedicated to public
service and I am committed
to working on serious edu
cational issues facing in Lee
County. I would like to iden
tify just a couple of issues
Troy Golden
that need new leadership.
“Lirst, it is unfair to our
students and teachers that our
current State
educational
system places
so much im
portance on
annual state
wide stan
dardized tests
(the CRCT).
As a result
teachers are
being forced
to spend
more time
‘teaching
to the test’
which takes
away from
their time to
teach the traditional school
subjects. Even if students
earn good grades from their
teachers, they might find
themselves repeating a grade
due to their performance on
the CRCT. I am committed
to changing the system back
to the way it was before.
Teachers should to be trusted
with determining whether a
student is passed to the next
grade. A standardized test
mandated by bureaucrats in
Atlanta should not replace
the wisdom of our local
teachers.
“Second, due to prior
School Board decisions we
now have more school build
ings in the City of Leesburg
than the streets of Leesburg
can handle. Traffic conges
tion is becoming dangerous
due to the placing of too
many schools too close to
each other. As our popula
tion continues to grow and
the need arises for new con
struction, new schools should
be built in the southern por
tions of Lee County (where
most of the population lives)
to ease the traffic burdens
off of Leesburg city streets.
Additionally, building new
schools in southern areas
of Lee County, where most
people live, will result in
lower fuel consumption costs
and less unnecessary driving
distances. I hope to bring
new leadership in issues like
these and I respectfully ask
the voters in the Leesburg
District to allow me the
honor to be their representa
tive on the School Board.’’
belts and the school system
could do the same. Clay ex
pressed his concern that the
school system was sending
the wrong message by not
finding ways to reduce the
budget and not raise taxes.
Lrank Griffin, board
member, who made the mo
tion to increase the millage
rate, said that he would like
to see the on-going projects
completed including the
ninth grade academy. Louis
Hatcher, board member,
pointed out that Lee County
is out-performimg other
school systems that spend
more money.
Mr. Griffin said the aver
age home owner will see
an increase in their taxes of
approximately four dollars
a month. The M&O part
of the school property tax
will increase from 13.75 to
15 mills but to offset that
increase, the school system
will roll back the millage
rate for bond indebtedness
from one mill to ,4 mill for a
total school tax rate of 15.4
mills.
Approximately 72 per
cent of the school system’s
general fund expenditures
are funded by the state. The
other 28 percent comes pri
marily from local property
taxes and the use of cash
funds and reserves.
Relieving the overcrowd
ing at the high school by
housing ninth grade students
at the newly renovated Twin
Oaks campus is a factor in
the tax increase.
State funding is based on
students rather than build
ings. The school system has
to fund the cost associated
with the ninth grade campus
locally.
While the cost of the ninth
grade school is the primary
reason for this tax increase,
utility cost for the new
elementary school and an
increase in fuel prices are
impacting the 2008-2009
budget adversely.
Since the Lee County
Board of Education is
proposing an increase in
the millage rate, state law
requires that three hearings
be held to allow the public
an opportunity to express
their opinions of the increase
before a final millage rate
can be adopted.
All concerned citizens are
invited to the public hear
ings on the tax increase. The
meetings will be held at the
Lee County Board of Educa
tion, 126 Starksville Avenue
North in Leesburg.
The meetings will be held
on July 10 at 11:00 a.m., July
10 at 6:00 p.m. and July 21
at 4:00 p.m.
Lor additional information,
call 229-903-2100.
Usry To Seek
State Senate Seat
School Board Votes To
Doherty, Duggan
& Rouse Insurors
AN EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddrins.com
Lee County
Commission
will meet
Tuesday,
July 8
at
6:00 p.m
The Lee County
Chamber of
Commerce,
Ambassadors and the
Lee Branch Steering
Committee held a
ribbon cutting for the
local YMCA Thursday,
June 26th, 2008. The
office is located at
101-B Walnut Street
in Leesburg. The
YMCA should open
on Robert B. Lee
Parkway late August
2008.
Dave Wallace (right),
YMCA Executive
Director, greeted
those on hand and
gave an update on the
progress being made
at the new location in
Leesburg.
To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413
Bob Usry announced Tues
day that he will be a candi
date for the Georgia State
Senate for the 13th District.
Joseph Carter, of Tifton,
had represented the people
in the 13th District and was
on the ballot for reelection
unopposed but decided last
week to seek the position of
Superior Court Judge.
Bob Usry issued the fol
lowing statement in an
nouncing his candidacy: “It
is with great pride that I am
announcing that I will seek
the Senatorial seat vacated
by the honorable Joseph
Carter. I retired from the
Linked States Army in 2000
with 30 years of honorable
service. I retired in Octo
ber and will be able to give
Senatorial duties my full
attention. I served on the Lee
County Utility Authority for
14 years, surveyed nursing
homes for the State of Geor
gia for 13 years and have
been in the cattle business
since 1995.
“I understand the need of
our senior citizens and the
need for state support of this
very special group of citi
zens. Local concerns many
times translate in to having
federal support and I pledge
to work closely with Senator
Chambless and Representa
tive Bishop to insure the
continued growth of South
Georgia.
“I strongly oppose any
attempt to divert water re
sources from South Georgia
to North Georgia and would
submit legislation to man
date total water reuse in the
Metro Atlanta area in the
next 15 years.
“I support the continua
tion of the Young Larmer
Programs in our schools and
continued support for LLA
Bob Usry
and 4-H to strengthen Geor
gia’s Agricultural heritage.
“My wife Betsy and I have
four children and reside in
Smithville. I ask for your
prayers and support as I seek
this prestigious office.’’
^merts
Bank
2627 Dawson Rd.
229-888-5600
1607 Highway 19 S
229-434-4550
Catch the
Reading Bug
at
Lee County Library
Summer Reading
Program
through
July 25, 2008
Stories, crafts, and
lots of books!
Call 229-759-2369
F/M/l