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The LeS County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Curt and Leighanne Bjerregaard
Volume XLIV- Number 41
Leesburg, Georgia - - June 29, 2022
Fifty Cents
Submitted Photo
TOWN HALL-STYLE EVENT From left, Lee County Manager Christi Dockery, Kinetic state government affairs Vice President Deana Perry-
Hawkins, Kinetic Georgia operations President Michael Foor, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock representative Brenda Williams, Gov. Brian Kemp
representative Jody Redding, U.S. Rep Sanford Bishop representative Paul Fryer, Leesburg City Manager Bob Alexander, Leesburg Mayor
Billy Breeden, Leesburg City Council Member Judy Powell, state Rep. Bill Yearta, Lee County Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Davis,
Sumter EMC board Chairman Cecil Myers, Sumter EMC President and CEO Rene Smith and Lee County Commission Chairman Billy Mathis.
Kinetic Brings ‘High Speed for Here’ to Lee County
Special to the Ledger
Making good on its
commitment to leave no
town behind, Kinetic
has kicked off a project
to deliver fiber internet
gig service to more than
4,000 homes and busi
nesses in Lee County.
The project is part of
the working agreement
with Sumter EMC of
Americus. Windstream’s
project investment is part
of a $500 million invest
ment in communities
across Georgia.
“When we say, ‘High
Speed for Here,’ we
mean Lee County,” said
Kinetic Georgia state
operations President
Michael Foor at a town
hall-style event in Lees
burg.
“Since our employees
live and work in the
communities we serve,
we are celebrating with
our neighbors about the
benefits fiber internet
brings,” Foor said. “Pub
lic-private partnerships
like this make it possi
ble for us to bring fiber
to places where there
would otherwise not
be the business case to
support it. We’re grateful
to everyone who came
together to make this
possible.”
Foor was joined at
the event at the T. Page
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Leesburg
City
Council
will meet
Tuesday,
July 5 at
6:00 p.m.
at the
Leesburg
City Hall
Tharp Governmental
Building by dignitar
ies, including County
Commission Chairman
Billy Mathis, Coun
ty Manager Christi
Dockery, Sumter EMC
President and CEO Rene
Smith, Gov. Brian Kemp
representative Jody Red
ding, U.S. Sen. Raphael
Warnock representative
Brenda Williams, and
state Rep. Bill Yearta.
“Thanks to this in
vestment from Kinetic,
thousands of Georgians
will now have access
to reliable high-speed
internet,” Kemp said.
“When I signed SB 2 in
2019, it opened the door
for partnerships, such as
this one between Kinetic
and Sumter EMC, to
transform communi
ties across our state.
I’m looking forward
to seeing the impact of
this grant on the lives of
hardworking Georgians
in Lee County.”
Yearta said: “Fast
and reliable internet is
vital to economic de
velopment in Southwest
Georgia. Congratula
tions to Lee County for
this public-private part
nership that will bring
greater connectivity to
thousands of residents
and businesses.”
Funding for the work
comes from a Georgia
Broadband Infrastruc
ture Committee grant
through the State and
Local Fiscal Recovery
Funds program to dis
tribute federal Ameri
can Rescue Plan funds
of about $12.5 million.
This money is coupled
with a Kinetic contri
bution of another $7.3
million and a county
Board of Commission
ers investment of $1.2
million.
A collaborative agree
ment with Sumter EMC
will streamline the
project’s buildout across
the Sumter EMC foot
print, including Chat
tahoochee, Dougherty,
Lee, Marion, Quitman,
Randolph, Schley, Stew
art, Sumter, Terrell and
Webster counties.
“We have found out
that high-speed broad
band internet is vital for
rural Georgia to com
pete with the world,”
Summers said. “This
major funding can and
will change the face of
rural Georgia. A special
thank-you to Governor
Kemp. Thank you, Lee
County.”
The fiber expansion is
expected to be complet
ed by the end of 2024.
To learn more, visit
GoKinetic.com or call
229-985-8000 to prereg
ister for fiber.
Failure To Compromise Could Cost Taxpayers
A meeting held June 21
between the Lee County
Board of Commissioners
and city officials from
Leesburg and Smithville
concerning TSPLOST
ended in a stalemate
when the elected offi
cials could not agree on
percentages each would
receive. If the governing
bodies can not reach
an intergovernmental
agreement, then the state
will allow the propor
tional collection of 75
percent of the TSPLOST
tax that could have been
collected if a percent
age agreement had been
reached.
Commission Chairman
Billy Mathis opened the
meeting by suggestion
that the percentage be
based on population that
resided in the two cities
and the unincorporated
area of the county.
Using 2011 popula
tion figures, Leesburg’s
population was 2,896,
Smithville’s popula
tion was 575 and the
unincorporated county
population was 28,298.
By using those popula
tion figures, based on
2021 sales tax figures,
Leesburg would receives
$450,259.87, Smithville
$89,343.78 and the coun
ty $3,861,814.46.
Leesburg officials
provided a handout of
estimated projects and
their cost. Leesburg’s
proposed projects includ
ed SR 32 East bypass,
realign SR 32 (Main
Street) to connect to
SR 3 (Walnut Street),
roundabout at Leslie
Hwy and Smithville
Ave/2nd Street, install
a pedestrian hybrid
beacon on Leslie Ave by
the sports field and the
9th grade campus and
installing various side
walks and crosswalks.
Bert Gregory, attorney
for Leesburg, proposed
that Leesburg receive
13 percent. This would
increasing Leesburg’s
share to $572,184.35
while decreasing
the county’s share to
$3,301,063.58.
Commissioner Luke
Singletary responded to
Mr. Gregory’s request
by saying that some
of Leesburg project
ed projects like the
realignment of Main
Street at the courthouse
could be eliminated.
Mathis asked the other
commissioners if they
were willing to increase
Leesburg’s share to 13
percent and received a
resounding no.
Leesburg’s attorney
indicated that Com
missioner Singletary’s
comment was bullying
and again stressed the
request for 13 percent
highlighting that all the
schools were in the city
limits and all buses were
traveling on city streets
and noted that the city
provided services for
the schools including
resource officers.
Without an intergov
ernmental agreement in
sight, Mr. Gregory said
that it would be left to
the state to settle the
issue thus giving Lees
burg 10.75 percent based
on the 75 proportional
percentage. Chairman
Mathis stressed that if
it went to the state to
decide, Leesburg, Smith
ville and the county
would all receive less
based on the 75 propor
tional percentage.
Leesburg has 5.08 per
cent of the roads in Lee
County and are request
ing 13 percent of the
revenue. Smithville has
To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413
2.43% af the roads. Lee
County has 453 miles of
roads with 23 of those
miles in Leesburg City
Limits, 11 miles of roads
are in Smithville and
419 roads are in the un
incorporated area of Lee
County or 92.49 percent
of the roads.
Without any con
cession on the part of
Leesburg officials or
the county leaders, an
agreement will not be
reach on the percentage
each will receive from
TSPLOST collections,
therefore the state will
make the determination
thus Leesburg, Smith
ville and the county
will receive less funding
than if it was based on
population.
The elected officials
have not scheduled a
meeting to continue
discussion TSPLOST
percentages that each
city and the county
would receive.
The City of Leesburg
held a called meeting at
5:00 Tuesday to discuss
the unofficial or estimate
from the Department of
Audits and Accounts of
the TSPLOST distribu
tion rate for Lee County.
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