Newspaper Page Text
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Volume 102 Number 6
Income Rise vs.
Inflation Locally
Special to the
Progress-Argus
NEW YORK, Jan. 24 To
what extend has the rising
cost of living affected
residents of Butts County
during the last five years?
How large an income does
a local family have to have
these days to equal the
purchasing power it had in
1970?
A great deal more,
according to data obtained
from the Conference Board,
the Department of Labor and
others. In the five-year
period, they show, the
purchasing power of the
dollar eroded by more than
23 cents, continuing the
long-time trend in that
direction. In terms of the 1949
dollar, for example, it is now
worth only 48 cents.
Added to the unrelenting
rise in the cost of goods and
services has been the
increase in taxes, especially
for Social Security.
All in all, the average
family needs to be making
nearly 40 percent more than
it did five years ago to
maintain the same standard
of living.
For Butts County families
that had an income of $6,500
Earl Williams
Now On VICA
Board Of Dirs.
Former Jackson resident,
Earl F. Williams, Georgia
State Supervisor of Trade
and Industrial Education,
Secondary School Vocational
Programs, has been elected
to the Board of Directors of
Vocational Industrial Clubs
of America (VICA).
VICA is the national
organization for students in
trade, industrial, technical
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SENIOR PALS DONATION The Senior Pals Service Center made a $25.00 donation to
the Doyle Jones, Jr. Memorial Fund, Thursday during their second anniversary meeting.
Above Mrs. Claudia King (left) of the Sylvan Grove Hospital Auxiliary is snown accepting the
check from Senior Pals worker Margaret R. Dukes. Photo by Jerry McLaurin.
in 1970, approximately $9,100
would be required today.
Those that had $8,500 then
need $11,900 now. Those in
the SIO,OOO bracket have to
have $14,000 and the ones at
the $15,000 level, $21,000.
Fortunately for most local
familes, their incomes did
rise sharply in the last five
years, reaching an average
of $10,150 per household by
1975.
The gains they made
enabled them to offset the
rising cost of living better
than families in many parts
of the country.
The big losers in the race
with inflation include wage
earners whose paychecks
haven’t kept pace, those who
are on fixed pensions and
welfare recipients.
A study by the Conference
Board, covering the past 10
years, shows that taxes
continue to absorb a rising
share of personal income,
about 23 percent today.
Social Security contribu
tions constituted the fastest
growing segment of the total
tax, shooting up 238 percent
in the 10 years. State and
local taxes went up 266
percent, it finds, and Federal
income taxes, 170 percent.
and health occupations pro
grams. There are 200,000
members nationwide.
While employed with the
State education department,
Williams has worked in trade
and industrial curriculum
development and assisted in
the development of Georgia’s
comprehensive high school
program.
A graduate of the Univer
sity of Georgia, he earned his
Masters degree in Trade and
Industrial Education from
that institution.
Williams has classroom
teaching experience in draft
ing and served as industrial
KIWANIS MAN OF THE YEAR Dick O’Hara, 1975
Man of the Year is pictured above accepting the Man of the
Year award from Jackson Kiwanis Club president Jack Little
during the annual Founder’s Day Program held in the
Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Jackson.
Photo by Jerry McLaurin.
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cooperative training coordi
nator at Jackson High
School in Jackson; he also
served as a VICA club
advisor.
Earl Williams is married
to the former Nancy Carter,
daughter of Elena Carter of
Jackson. Mr. and Mrs.
Williams are the parents of
three girls: Melissa, Susan
and Stacy. The Williams are
now living in Conyers.
Jackson, Georgia 30233, Thursday, February 5, 1976
Last Rites For
Wright Watkins
Held Saturday
Funeral services for
Richard Wright Watkins, Sr.,
92, of Jackson, were held
Saturday afternoon at two
o’clock from the Jackson
Presbyterian Church with
the Rev. David Black,
pastor, officiating.
Death came to the beloved
civic and religious leader on
Thursday night at the Middle
Georgia Hospital in Macon,
shortly after being admitted
earlier that day. For the past
several weeks he had been a
patient at Sylvan Grove
Hospital in Jackson.
Possessing a courtly man
ner, he was highly successful
as a merchant, having owned
and operated for over 40
years the GI Watkins & Son
Company at Indian Springs,
until his retirement in 1948.
He was a loyal member
and supporter of the Jackson
Presbyterian Church and for
years served the church in
the office of elder, eventually
being retired as elder
emeritus. He supported the
County’s educational pro
grams through his service
for years on the Butts County
Board of Education, as well
as community activities.
Born in Minden, Rusk
County, Texas on February
22,1883, he was the son of the
late George Isham Watkins
and the late Delia Wright
Watkins.
Survivors include his wife,
Mrs. Floride Smith Watkins;
two sons, Richard Wright
Watkins, Jr. of Jackson and
Robert Bryans W'atkins of
Marietta; two sisters. Miss
Myrtice Delia Watkins and
Miss Georgie Watkins, both
of Jackson; nine grandchi
dren.
Interment was in the
Jackson City Cemetery
under\ the direction of
Haisten Funeral Home.
Active pallbearers were
Lovett Fletcher, Vincent
Jones, M. W. Carmichael,
Jimmy Cornell, Marion
Cook, William Presley, Cecil
Scarbrough and W. L.
Holloway.
An honorary escort includ
ed all the present and former
officers of the Jackson
Presbyterian Church and J.
R. Carmichael, H. M Moore,
Hampton Daughtry, Loy
Hutcheson, Jack Smith, Jr.,
Frank Barnes.
Court Rules On
Butts Tax Query
The Georgia Supreme
Court has ruled on the Butts
County Tax case, a suit for an
injunction filed by the
Taxpayers Protective Asso
ciation against Butts County
and several county officials.
The ruling came on January
27, 1976.
According to the Attorney
for Butts County, the basic
ruling of the Supreme Court
js the tax case should have
been dismissed by the lower
court and the natural effect
of this ruling will be to
dissolve the Butts County
Superior Court’s prior ruling
on this matter.
The County Attorney
further stated that the
deadline for paying taxes
without penalty was Monday,
however, the plaintiffs in the
tax case will be allowed
additional time to pay the
amounts due in excess of
those amounts they were
orginally ordered to pay by
the order of the Butts County
Superior Court. These par
ties will receive notice of this
amount within the next few
days.
The Georgia Supreme
Court decision came as no
real surprise to the members
of the Taxpayers Protective
Association but it was
disappointing to them. They
had hoped that the Georgia
Supreme Court would have
followed Judge Sosebee’s
decision regarding payment
of taxes based on the 1974
valuation. The Taxpayers
Protective Association plans
to re-appeal the case to the
courts.
The attorney for the
Taxpayers Protective Asso
ciation said, “I don’t feel that
State of the City is
Given to Kiwanians
Last Tuesday evening,
Mayor of Jackson C. B.
Brown presented to the
Jackson Kiwanis Club the
annual State of the City
address. Among the high
lights of his speech was the
pleasing news that the City of
Jackson is once again
operating in the black and
has even afforded itself the
comfort of a small surplus.
Mayor Brown gave the
credit for the year’s progress
to Jackson’s hardworking
city councilmen: Allen
Byars, Roy Goff, John L.
Coleman, Dawson Bryant
and John R. Pulliam.
In 1975, according to the
mayor's report, the City of
Jackson purchased anew
garbage truck, and new
police cars. The city added 47
new electric customers. The
city bought, and installed 800
feet of two-inch water main,
five miles of electric main,
over 3,000 feet of six-inch
water main and 3.000 feet of
two-inch gas main.
Evidence that the nation
wide increase in crime did
not leave the City of Jackson
untouched came with the
following figures; 139 major
crimes in Jackson (repre
sents a 4,000 - 5,000 percent
increase over the previous
year). Besides investigating
the major crimes, the
Jackson Police Department
also made 660 traffic cases
and 138 DUI cases; made 670
taxes can be legally collected
until the courts have ruled on
the legality of the 1975 Butts
County Tax Digest. I advise
the members of the Taxpay
ers Protective Association
not to pay any taxes, but if
they feel that they must, they
should pay them based on the
1974 assessments.
The Taxpayers Protective
Association of Butts County
was formerly organized on a
Thursday night, July 31. 1975.
E. D. Briscoe, local business
man, was elected chairman
of the organization which
was formed to obtain by
whatever means available,
an adjustment downward of
tax assessments which had
been sharply raised by the
local tax assessment board.
At the July 31 meeting held
in the county courthouse in
Jackson, the decision was
made to obtain legal assist
ance. Membership applica
tions were distributed and a
membership fee of $lO was
decided on. Officers of the
association were elected:
Lovett Fletcher, vice-chair
man; Mrs. Jewellene Polk,
secretary-treasurer, Joe
Brown. Jr. and Howard
Greer, directors; Hiram
Franklin and Dean Patrick,
alternate directors.
Members of the board of
tax assessors at the time of
re-evaluation were: S. A.
Washington, chairman;
Byron Britt, and Roy Staples.
Bennie Dover was then
working as appraiser.
In August of 1975 a suit was
filed in the Butts County
Superior Court by the
officers of the Taxpayers
Protective Association as
Plaintiffs against Butts
service calls (prowlers,
domestic calls, etc.) and
reported 131 traffic accidents
in 1975.
The mayor reported that
the city issued 49 building
permits in 1975 for building
that amounted to $845,870 and
commented that for a city the
size of Jackson, the issuance
of 49 building permits
represents a great amount of
progress. The city also
collected $94,271.00 in beer
and wine taxes. And. as
mentioned above, the city is
once again operating on a
cash basis with a surplus
after facing a $154,667.90
deficit when the mayor and
city councilmen took office at
the beginning of 1975. The
able-bodied group of city
officials put the city on a cash
basis without an increase in
taxes or an increase in
business licence fees.
Plans for the future in
Jackson include the rein
stallation of "Tip Line," a
drug tip-off program which
has operated very success
fully in past years in
Jackson. The program will
be financed by donations only
no city money will be used
for the program.
Future plans also include a
meeting with merchants of
the city to discuss plans to
bring a team of designers
from the University of
Georgia to help beautify
$6.18 Per Year In Advance
County Georgia: S. A.
Washington, Byron Britt and
Roy Staples, in their capacity
as members of the Butts
County Board of Tax Asses
sors; Mrs. Mary Will Hearn,
in her capacity of Tax
Commissioner of Butts
County; Barney Wilder, in
his official capacity as
Sheriff of Butts County; and
Nick Chivilis as State
Revenue Commissioner of
the State of Georgia as
Defendants.
The case was originally
assigned to Judge Sam L.
Whitmire who later realized
that his small ownership in a
tract of land in Butts County
would disqualify him for
passing on the validity of the
tax digest of Butts County.
After Judge Whitmire
removed himself from the
case. Judge Hugh D. Sosebee
was assigned to hear the
case. Judge Sosebee was ill
and his illness caused a delay
in obtaining a decision on the
case. Before rendering a
decision, Judge Sosebee
studied all the briefs which
had been submitted to Judge
Whitmire pertaining to the
case and set a deadline for
any further information
which either Plaintiff or
Defendant might wish him to
hear.
On October 13 Judge
Sosebee rendered his de
cision on the case. He ruled
that the Plaintiff had cause
for suit and he ruled the
Defendant, Tax Commis
sioner for Butts County, be
temporarily prohibited from
transferring the Tax Digest
of Butts County to the State
Revenue Commissioner
pending the final outcome of
the case.
Jackson downtown area. The
teams from the University of
Georgia travel throughout
the state, make studies of a
given area and offer sugges
tions free of charge.
The mayor announced that
Denny O’Neal, presently an
employee of the Jackson
Police Department, is cur
rently undergoing detective
training and that he soon
would be made City Detec
tive of Jackson.
Mayor Brown also an
nounced the installation of a
fulltime fire department for
the City of Jackson. Three
fulltime firemen have been
hired by the city and at least
one of them is manning the
station 24 hours per day.
According to the mayor, the
installation of the fire
department would mean a
reduction in city residents’
fire insurance premiums of
about 15 percent. Residents
will not realize the reduction
until state inspectors have
given their O.K on the
department and until their
next insurance renewal date.
The mayor emphasized
that the reduction of fire
insurance premiums was not
the objective that he and
the councilmen had in mind
when they installed the fire
department; it is only a
fringe benefit of their prime
In his ruling, Judge
Sosebee also ordered that,
pending a final determina
tion of the legality of the 1975
Butts County Tax Digest,
owners of real estate were to
pay to the Tax Commissioner
of Butts County their taxes
based on the 1974 valuation
and when the validity of the
1975 Digest was settled, an
adjustment of the taxes could
be made in accordance with
whatever amount may be
determined to be due.
Judge Sosebee also over
ruled the Plaintiff’s chal
lenge to the constitutionality
of the various laws as set out
in their petition.
Shortly after rendering his
first decision, Judge Sosebee
issued an amendment to his
first order clarifying a
portion of his statement: “It
was and is the order of this
court that the plaintiff shall
pay to the County 1975 taxes
based on 1975 millage rate
using a 1974 valuation only on
the real estate in question.
“The ex parte restraining
order against the Tax
Commissioner is vacated,
and she may transmit the
Digest to the State Revenue
Commissioner as provided
by law, and it is the direction
of this Court that the State
Revenue Commissioner act
on the Digest disregarding
the ‘five per cent’ rule
leaving open for a final
determination by the Court
the valuation to be placed
upon the real estate in
litigation.”
From this point the case
was taken to an appellate
court (in this case the
Supreme Court of Georgia)
where the above decision was
rendered.
objective to provide for the
citizens of Jackson, a better
fire protection service.
Mayor Brown continued
with his enumeration of new
services saying that the new
sewer plants are now in full
operation and he announced
plans to buy a road paving
machine.
Indicative of a learned look
to the future, the mayor
announced that the local
delegation of Georgia law
makers is currently spon
soring a bill in the Georgia
General Assembly which will
provide for a change in
Jackson's City Charter. The
change would, in effect; tie
the offices of mayor and city
council into a closer bond,
basically making the mayor
more responsible to the
council. The measure is
hoped to prevent such
occurrances as have trans
pired in the past.
In summary, the mayor
reported the city’s 1975
income as $1,409,006.63 and
the 1976 budget at $1,678,-
849.90. He said that in 1975,
the cost of running the city
was $3,186.29 per dav. In 1976
the projected cost is $4,599.59
per day. He reported that the
city's total tax revenue for
1975 was $113,822.06, “ . . .
which means,” he said, “that
the year’s total tax digest
would not run the city for one
month.”