Newspaper Page Text
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 9, 2008, Page 13B
Top Penny Pinching Lawn Care Tips
Special to the Ledger
(StatePoint) Saving money
on lawn care doesn’t have to
mean an unkempt, weed-
filled lawn that’s the ugliest
one on the block. By fol
lowing a few easy tips you
can find ways to stretch your
dollar and still have a green
and beautiful yard.
“As household budgets get
tight, lots of homeowners
are looking for a way to save
a few dollars here and there,
and lawn care is no excep
tion,” says Yard Doctor, Trey
Rogers, Ph.D. “The key to
yard care on a budget is to
do the basics right and forgo
some of the frills.”
Here are some use
ful penny-pinching lawn
and yard care tips from
Rogers and his Web site
www.yarddoctor.com, that
can help you save money
this season:
* Mow the right way.
Don’t cut your lawn too
short. Instead, let it grow
a little longer so you won’t
mow quite as often. This is
healthy for the lawn and will
save on gas and wear and
tear on your mower. When
you do mow, cut only one-
third the length of the lawn.
* Fertilize when it will do
the most good. Fertilizer
can be expensive, especially
if you have a large yard. If
you don’t want to part with
the money to fertilize as
often as recommended for
your area, at least fertil
ize once - when it will do
the most good. This means
when the grass is actively
growing.
* Maintain your equip
ment. For your mower, do
preventive maintenance
once a year. Change the oil,
clean or replace the spark
plug, and change the filters.
Use a fuel preservative so
the gasoline won’t go stale,
which it does in about 30
days. Thirty minutes of
maintenance can save you
hundreds of dollars in repair
bills.
* Make your own com
post. This costs nothing but
a little time, as opposed to
purchasing bags of com
post at the garden center.
It’s easy. Start a pile that
includes most leftovers from
your meals (excluding pro
teins). Add coffee grounds,
egg shells, vegetable peels
and yard waste such as
leaves and grass clippings.
Keep it damp and stir it oc
casionally and you will have
nutrient-rich compost in a
few months.
* Let nature water your
lawn. Your lawn needs
about one inch of water a
week to be green and thrive.
But if water is costly where
you live, let nature handle
irrigation. If too little rain
falls, your lawn may go
dormant, but unless you are
in a drought situation, it will
green up again when the rain
falls.
For more free tips on
how to create a healthy
lawn and landscape, visit
the Yard Doctor online at
www.yarddoctor.com. The
Yard Doctor is part of the
Briggs & Stratton Yard
Smarts program, created to
help homeowners achieve the
yard they really want to have
by providing knowledge and
inspiration on lawn and yard
care.
“Just because you’re pinch
ing pennies on caring for
your lawn doesn’t mean you but a beautiful yard,”
have to settle for anything stresses Rogers.
•*; * •* •*:
‘ifie Canine
iLLC
Doc Grooming & Boarding
“91 Place Where your 'Dog 'Is 91 “Part Oj’Lfie ’Family”
As a result of an INCREASE in operating
expenses due to the economy, effective
AUGUST 1, 2008,
there will be an increase in our grooming
and boarding fees.
MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sat. Appts. Available - Sunday Pick up 6-8 pm
1222 Lovers Lane Road
Leesburg 229-878-0860
Sharon Hoffman
Owner
UGA wash kills foodborne
pathogens in minutes
By Terry Hastings
University of Georgia
University of Georgia
researchers have developed an
effective technology for reduc
ing contamination of danger
ous bacteria on food.
The new antimicrobial wash
rapidly kills Salmonella and E.
coli 0157:H7 on foods ranging
from fragile lettuce to fruits,
poultry products and meats. It
is made from inexpensive and
readily available ingredients
that are recognized as safe
by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
The technology has com
mercial application for the
produce, poultry, meat and
egg processing industries. It
is available for licensing from
the UGA Research Founda
tion, Inc., which has filed a
patent application on the new
technology.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
estimates that in the U.S.
alone foodborne pathogens
are responsible for 76 million
illnesses every year. Of the
people affected by those ill
nesses, 300,000 are hospital
ized and more than 5,000 die.
These widespread outbreaks
of foodborne illnesses are
attributed in part to the fast-
paced distribution of foods
across the nation. Recently,
raw tomatoes caused an
outbreak of salmonellosis
that sickened more than 300
people in at least 28 states and
Canada.
Currently, a chlorine wash
is used in a variety of ways to
reduce harmful bacteria levels
on vegetables, fruits and poul
try, but because of chlorine’s
sensitivity to food components
and extraneous materials
released in chlorinated water
treatments, many bacteria
survive.
“We can’t rely on chlorine to
eliminate pathogens on foods,”
said Michael Doyle, one of the
new technology’s inventors
and director of UGA’s Center
for Food Safety in Griffin, Ga.
“This new technology is effec
tive, safe for consumers and
food processing plant work
ers, and does not affect the
appearance or quality of the
product. It may actually extend
the shelf-life of some types of
produce.”
A UGA College of Agri
cultural and Environmental
Sciences professor, Doyle is
an internationally recognized
authority on food safety. His
research focuses on developing
methods to detect and control
foodborne bacterial patho
gens at all levels of the food
continuum, from the farm to
the table.
The new antimicrobial tech
nology, developed by Doyle
and UGA CFS researcher
Tong Zhao, uses a combination
of ingredients that kills bacte
ria within one to five minutes
from application. It can be
used as a spray and immersion
solution, and its concentration
can be adjusted for treatment
of fragile foods such as leafy
produce, more robust foods
like poultry, or food prepa
ration equipment and food
transportation vehicles.
Hie** Sondra Cook
Clerk of Superior Court
She is committed to Lee
County, family, church,
and community. She is also
committed to continuing
to serve you as Clerk of
Superior Court.
‘.fiavaj <£ Melissa Cook
Paid for by the candidate
NOTICE
The Lee County Board of Education does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the
Lee County Board of Education office at 126 Starksville on July 21,2008 at 5:00 p.m. and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section
48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax
digest and levy for the past five years.
CURRENT 2008 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
COUNTY SCHOOL
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Real & Personal
471,440,703
496,536,440
534,624,200
752,373,806
785,698,503
827,557,459
Motor Vehicles
54,248,070
70,642,410
75,905,400
75,487,310
83,094,790
85,264,750
Mobile Homes
7,560,624
6,872,712
6,626,313
6,714,570
6,567,945
6,026,388
Timber -100%
2,713,724
2,009,612
1,429,540
1,830,893
1,847,805
767,281
Heavy Duty Equipment
119,740
107,370
290,384
676,894
1,118,036
1,238,013
Gross Digest
536,082,861
576,168,544
618,875,837
837,083,473
878,327,079
920,853,891
Less M& 0 Exemptions
27,539,784
28,887,173
31,269,025
76,720,813
83,131,530
86,475,532
Net M & O Digest
508,543,077
547,281,371
587,606,812
760,362,660
795,195,549
834,378,359
Gross M&O Millage
14.750
14.750
14.750
13.750
13.750
15.000
Less Rollbacks
Net M&O Millage
14.750
14.750
14.750
13.750
13.750
15.000
Total School Taxes Levied
$7,501,010
$8,072,400
$8,667,200
$10,454,987
$10,933,939
$12,515,675
Net Taxes $ Increase
$460,937
$571,390
$594,800
$1,787,786
$478,952
$1,581,737
Net Taxes % Increase
7.61%
7.62%
7.37%
20.63%
4.58%
14.47%
NOTICE
The Lee County Board of Commissioners does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held
at 104 Leslie Highway on July 22, 2008, at 6:00 p.m.and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32
does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest
for the past five years.
CURRENT 2008 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
#
UNINCORPORATED
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Real & Personal
436,308,170
459,018,023
493,997,943
702,605,940
733,111,034
771,693,896
Motor Vehicles
50,029,290
65,106,000
70,225,730
70,016,830
77,196,230
79,252,890
Mobile Homes
6,784,825
6,157,351
5,927,025
5,957,492
5,799,831
5,330,884
Timber -100%
2,284,731
2,009,612
1,429,540
1,830,893
1,847,805
767,281
Heavy Duty Equipment
119,740
107,370
290,384
676,894
1,118,036
1,238,013
Gross Digest
495,526,756
532,398,356
571,870,622
781,088,049
819,072,936
858,282,964
Less M& O Exemptions
24,341,773
24,805,292
26,814,151
72,333,266
77,546,385
80,364,494
Net M&O Digest
471,184,983
507,593,064
545,056,471
708,754,783
741,526,551
777,918,470
Gross M&O Millage
17.236
17.180
19.380
16.156
15.886
16.044
Less Rollbacks
3.286
3.230
3.430
3.390
3.120
3.278
Net M&O Millage
13.950
13.950
15.950
12.766
12.766
12.766
Net Taxes Levied
$6,573,031
$7,080,923
$8,693,651
$9,047,964
$9,466,328
$9,930,907
INCORPORATED
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Real & Personal
35,132,533
37,518,417
39,346,257
49,767,866
52,587,469
55,863,563
Motor Vehicles
4,218,780
5,536,410
5,679,670
5,470,480
5,898,560
6,011,860
Mobile Homes
775,799
715,361
699,288
757,078
768,114
695,504
Timber -100%
428,880
0
Heavy Duty Equipment
Gross Digest
40,555,992
43,770,188
45,725,215
55,995,424
59,254,143
62,570,927
Less M& O Exemptions
2,574,464
2,658,227
2,932,432
2,593,218
3,268,367
3,561,920
Net M&O Digest
$37,981,528
$41,111,961
$42,792,783
$53,402,206
$55,985,776
$59,009,007
Gross M&O Millage
17.236
17.180
19.380
16.156
15.886
16.044
Less Rollbacks
3.286
3.230
3.430
3.390
3.120
3.278
Net M&O Millage
13.950
13.950
15.950
12.766
12.766
12.766
Net Taxes Levied
$529,842
$573,512
$682,545
$681,733
$714,714
$753,309
TOTAL COUNTY
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Total County Value
509,166,511
548,705,025
587,849,254
762,156,989
797,512,327
836,927,477
Total County Taxes Levied
$7,102,873
$7,654,435
$9,376,196
$9,729,696
$10,181,042
$10,684,216
Net Taxes $ Increase
$67,314
$551,562
$1,721,761
$353,501
$451,346
$503,174
Net Taxes % Increase
1.00%
7.77%
22.49%
3.77%
4.64%
4.94%