The Wiregrass Farmer, October 8, 2008 - Page 3
Georgia Constitution amendments on the ballot
Here are the Constitutional
amendments on the General
Election ballot.
Amendment 1 - To encour
age the preservation of
Georgia’s forests through a
conservation use property tax
reduction program.
“Shall the Constitution of
Georgia be amended so as to
provide that the General
Assembly by general law shall
encourage the preservation,
conservation, and protection of
the state’s forests through the
special assessment and taxation
of certain forest lands and
assistance grants to local gov
ernment?”
This proposal directs the
General Assembly to provide
for a new method of tax assess
ment of forest land conserva
tion use property.
Only timber land of more
than 200 acres will be consid
ered, unless the Legislature
approves a law for less acreage.
The property owner will be
able to put covenants on the
land. The land will then be
taxed according to a formula
based on current use, annual
productivity, and real property
sales data.
A breach of the covenant
will result in a government get
ting back taxes as if the
covenants never existed and
may result in other appropriate
penalties.
The General Assembly is
directed to appropriate funds to
local government to partially
offset any loss of local revenue.
Amendment 2 - To autho
rize local school districts to
use tax funds for community
redevelopment purposes.
“Shall the Constitution of
Georgia be amended so as to
authorize community redevel
opment and authorize counties,
municipalities, and local boards
of education to use tax funds
for redevelopment purposes
and programs?”
This proposal lets the
Legislature give permission to
counties, municipalities, and
housing authorities and School
Boards to carry out community
redevelopment.
The proposal also revises
the Constitution’s provisions
on redevelopment powers and
government bonds.
In general,government
bonds are government borrow
ings which are repaid from
future property taxes.
Under the proposal any
local tax dollars, county, city,
or school board, could be used
to repay these bonds.
At present school boards
are limited in their ability to
issue bonds for school purposes
only.
The general law may pro
vide for such use of tax funds
without regard to whether the
local government approved
such use before January 1,
2009.
No county, municipal, or
school tax funds may be used
for such purposes and pro
grams without approval by the
applicable local governing
Advance voting underway now
by Ben Baker
Editor
Early voting is underway.
Turner County voters may
vote now in all the races from
president on down to County
Commission and Ashbum City
Council, for those who live in
districts with a County
Commission race or within the
City.
All early voting must be
done at the Board of Elections
office in the Bubba Akin
Memorial building on Highway
41.
The early voting includes
the Ashbum City Council elec
tion race. Recently Ashburn
and the City Council approved
an agreement whereby the
Board of Elections will run
municipal elections
Georgia voters don't need
any special reason or excuse to
cast ballots early, but they will
have to be registered and show
some form of photo ID.
Normal precincts will not be
open this week.
Avoid the lines and the msh
of voting on Election Day in
November. Go vote now.
body.
With respect to school taxes
only, such taxes may be used
for redevelopment purposes
and programs only if: (1) they
have been pledged for repay
ment of tax allocation bonds
which have been judicially val
idated (approved by a court for
issuance); or (2) such use is
authorized by general law after
January 1, 2009.
Amendment 3 - To autho
rize the creation of special
Infrastructure Development
Districts providing infras
tructure to underserved
areas.
“Shall the Constitution of
Georgia be amended so as to
authorize the General
Assembly to provide by gener
al law for the creation and
comprehensive regulation of
infrastructure development dis
tricts for the provision of
infrastructure as authorized by
local governments?”
This would allow govern
ment to create special districts
to improve with infrastructure
like water, sewer and roads.
This proposal authorizes the
General Assembly by general
law to provide for the creation
and regulation of infrastructure
development districts. The pur
pose of such districts will be
for the creation, provision, and
expansion of such infrastruc
ture services and facilities as
may be provided for by general
law.
Counties and municipalities
DIGEST
(Continued from Page 1)
selling high. I wish we
could have put this off another
year.”
The County was fined last
year because the assessed value
was not close enough to the
BOE
(Continued from Page 1)
across the state. Mr. Jordan
said the system has managed to
absorb most of those cuts. He
said without some local money
to offset those state cuts, lack
of money will directly affect
academics.
Making matters worse is
that more state cuts may be
coming.
“We need that 14 mills to
balance this budget. We know
the governor is anticipating
additional cuts in the Fiscal
Year TO budget,” Mr. Jordan
said. “That could result in a
significant decrease in our
funding should millage be
rolled back. The system is set
up to discourage property tax
reductions at the local level.”
In short, the more mills the
school board levies, the more
state money the system gets.
When the millage drops, state
money also drops.
Mr. Jordan said it is an
almost 1:1 ratio between local
money and state money based
on millage.
“If you roll back a mil, you
lose that local mil and you lose
a mil in state money,” he said.
actual value according to state
officials. Delaying the re
assessment another year meant
more fines.
Mrs. Lamb said very few
properties across the County
saw a drop in value.
“Farm land went up tremen
dously. We feel pretty good
with what we have,” she said.
Farm land can be put into a
conservation easement which
will lower taxes. Mrs. Lamb
said many farmers with less
than 2,000 acres have done
this.
As of right now, no one
knows what the millage will
be. Since the millage is not
known, no one knows what
taxes will be, especially on
individual properties.
The decision on millage
rests with County
Commissioners, School Board
members and City Council
members. They must vote in
open session to set the millage.
“We don’t set the millage
rate,” Mrs. Lamb said.
If taxes go up above the
new growth on the net digest,
the board calling for a tax
increase must hold public hear
ings to announce the increase
and gather public input before
setting final millage. If the
board accepts the new growth
in the digest as an increase and
does not call for a tax increase
above that, no public hearings
will be held.
ELECT
Ronnie
WHEELER
Superior Court Judge
Turner • Irwin • Worth • Tift
With 28 years as an attorney - 14 years as a prosecutor -1 have tried hundreds of
cases. I am a seasoned veteran of the courtroom and I am ready to go to work for
you as judge of
YOUR
Superior Court
to learn more visit
www.ronniewheeler.com
Tift County native
Husband of 23 years
Father of two
Choir member
Sunday school teacher
High school history teacher
Wesl Point graduate
Decorated eombal veteran
Slate House
rotd fax b r Tbarti Hew* 1U-
affected by the creation of
infrastructure development dis
tricts will have the authority to
approve creation of such dis
tricts. The general law provid
ing for the creation of the dis
tricts will provide for the estab
lishment of an administrative
or governing body for the dis
tricts. Such administrative or
governing bodies will be able
to impose and collect fees and
assessments within each dis
trict and to incur debt accord
ing to limits set by statute.
CodeRED apps being taken
by Ben Baker, editor
If you are a Turner County resident, soon you will be able to
get emergency weather warnings on your telephone, either land
line or cell phone.
The County Commission and Ashbum City Council are join
ing forces to bring an emergency warning call system to Turner
County. CodeRED operates the system which can alert every
phone in Turner County in moments when everything is in place.
Most likely, according to Commission Chairman Daryl Hall,
signups will be taken through the City of Ashburn because it has
a website and the County does not and at Ashbum City Hall.
Details are still being worked out and will be announced as
soon as possible. What is definite, is residents will have to sign up
for this service. There will be no charge to individuals as taxpayer
dollars are footing the bill.
Doughtery County has CodeRED's program and gives it high
marks in a letter officials there sent to officials here.
More details about the program are available at
<www.coderedweb.net>
"It will save lives," said Mayor Jim Hedges.
The total annual cost is $7,500. The County and City will each
pay $3,750. By joining forces, each board saves money because if
they did it alone, the per-board cost would be $5,000.
The program calls numbers listed by address. If your address
is within an area of severe weather, you will be called. If you list
a cell phone, it will be called if the cell phone has reception, no
matter where you are.
COME
HUNGRY
BUFFET
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
Monday-Friday
GOVERNMENT
Emergency Siren test 1st Wednesday at noon
TCMS School Council, 3rd Monday 4 p.m.
TCDA 2nd & 4th Monday 8:30 a.m. Chamber
County Commission 6:30 p.m. 1st Tues, School
Board Bus Shop
Ashbum Council 7 p.m. 1st Thursday City Hall
Board of Ed. 2nd Monday 7 p.m. Bus Shop
Rebecca Council 1st Monday, 6:30 City Hall
Sycamore Council 2nd Thurs., 7 p.m. City Hall
TCHS Council 1st Monday 4 p.m., TCHS
Community Relations Board, last Thursday,
7 p.m. Ashburn City Hall
SPECIAL
Chamber 3rd Friday noon Chamber
Fire Ant Festival Wednesday noon, Shoney's
CIVIC
Rotary Noon, each Thursday, Shoney's
Exchange 7 p.m., each Monday, Club Building
Kiwanis Noon, each Tuesday, Shoney's
Sycamore Lodge #210 Masons 1st and 3rd
Monday 7:30 p.m, Lodge
American Legion 2nd Tuesday 7 p.m, old
Legion Hall
Child Abuse Prev. 3rd Thurs. 6 p.m. Special
Services School
A.A. Tuesday & Friday 7:30-8:30 Alt. School
Cub Scouts every Mon, 7 pm at First United
Methodist Church. Ages 6-11
Boy Scouts every Tues. 7 pm at American
Legion. Ages 11 & up.
Community Calender Deadline: Noon FRIDAY!
To be listed, call 567-3655
www.Johr4House153.com
