Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
(Mi
H Wednesday, May 13, 2009
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 133 NO. 39 48 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Mayfield recalls vanil
la ice cream .. page 3A
•Nicholson and Talmo
each hold hearings on
budget page 2A
•More schools serving
breakfast in classroom
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'A road by any other
name...' page 4A
Sports:
•Lady Panthers take
sixth at region.. page IB
Features:
• EJ ES wins state award
for agriculture
page 1C
Other News:
•School News
pages 11 -12 A
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 6-28C
•Church News
page 1OA
•Obituaries
pages 8-9A
BOE seeks short-term loan
“Basically, we have no reason to believe that the (tax)
digest is going to do anything in a positive way next year. ”
— Jackson County school superintendent Shannon Adams
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
School System plans to get
a $14.5 million short-term
loan until it receives more tax
funds.
The board of education
agreed Monday to have super
intendent Shannon Adams seek
proposals for a Tax Anticipation
Note (TAN) for up to $14.5
million.
A TAN is a short-term
debt issued by a government
agency in anticipation of future
tax collections. The county’s
tax digest will be available in
October, while taxes will be
due in December.
The Jackson County BOE
would have to repay the loan
by Dec. 31,2009.
Last year, the school sys
tem started looking for a $12
million TAN in June until it
received the finalized tax digest
information to adopt the 2008-
2009 budget.
Facing a tight 2009-2010 bud
get, the school board recently
decided to lay off some employ
ees, furlough others and freeze
supplemental salaries.
“We have reason to believe
we’ll have significantly less —
or at least not as great of an
increase—in personnel expens
es next year,” Adams said.
Meanwhile, school system
officials aren’t expecting rev
enue to grow for the district
next budget year.
Jackson County Tax
Commissioner Don Elrod is
predicting a “flat year” in the
county’s tax digest, Adams
said.
“Basically, we have no rea
son to believe that the (tax)
digest is going to do anything
in a positive way next year,”
Adams said.
Board chairperson Kathy
Wilbanks said she wants the
district to remain conservative
with its finances, in the event
that tax revenue is less than
anticipated.
The Jackson County School
System’s maximum TAN can
reach $23 million, although the
district is seeking $14.5 million,
Adams said.
With 83 percent of the 2008-
2009 budget year complete, rev
enue has topped $70.1 million
— or 77 percent of the budget
— while expenses have reached
$69.1 million — or 76 percent
of the budget.
However, sales tax revenue
dropped to the lowest since the
SPLOST III (Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax) collec
tion started in April 2007.
For February, the school
system collected $310,393 in
sales tax funds — compared to
$388,979 in January.
continued on page 5A
$14.5 million to tide system
over until tax funds due
SPRING FOOTBALL AT JHS
Spring football practice is under way at Jefferson High School this week. See
more on page 2B. Photo by Brandon Reed
BJC request to be on agenda Mon.
BYANGELA GARY
BJC MEDICAL Center’s request for financial
assistance from the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners will be on the agenda for pos
sible action at next week’s BOC meeting. The
meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday at the
courthouse.
At a BOC meeting two weeks ago, Rick Massey,
a member of BJC Medical Center Authority,
asked the county to guarantee — and repay — 75
percent of a $5.2 million loan, as well as guarantee
75 percent of a $1 million line of credit.
The authority made a similar request — for the
other 25 percent of support — from the Banks
County Board of Commissioners at a meeting
Tuesday night. The Banks BOC did not take
action on the request.
Financial obligations related to the medical cen
ter have always been split on a 75:25 percent ratio
between Jackson and Banks counties.
“We have a significant need at the current time
for Jackson County and Banks County to guaran
tee a $5.2 million long-term debt, as well as a $1
million line of credit,” Massey told the Jackson
continued on page 5A
Cole Buick-Pontiac-GMC closes doors Fri.
By Mark Beardsley
GENERAL MOTORS’ decision to phase
out its Pontiac line and reduced sales due to the
recession cost Jackson County an automobile
dealership Friday.
Cole Buick-Pontiac-GMC, located astride
the Banks-Jackson line on Stephen B. Tanger
Boulevard at Banks Crossing, closed its doors
Friday. The company had 11 employees.
Owner Greg Cole said sales were down
approximately 50 percent over the last nine
months.
“I guess we made the decision over the last
couple of weeks, especially after GM made the
announcement it was going to discontinue the
Pontiac brand in 2010,” said Cole. “That would
have left us with Buick and GMC, that’s all.
That’s probably the announcement that pushed
us over the edge.”
The dealership sold 400-500 vehicles a
year before the recession, according to Cole,
who bought it three years ago. He also owns
Chevrolet dealerships in Athens and Pocataligo,
Idaho, which he said are also “straggling.”
“I don’t know of a dealership that isn’t strag
gling,” he added.
The car lot was built on the Jackson-Banks
line, but since the sales office was in Jackson
County, for sales tax purposes it was considered
a Jackson County business. It paid property
taxes to both counties, Cole noted.
“We very much hate it for the employees, but
we will continue to operate in Athens and we’ll
continue to service the customers we sold here
in Athens,” Cole said. “Any problems they have,
we’ll take care of in the Athens store.”
Road name issue still
a concern for Joiner
BYANGELA GARY
THERE HAS been no prog
ress on Jefferson Mayor Jim
Joiner’s concerns about county
commissioners naming roads
inside the city limits. He report
ed to the council Monday night
that the issue is still being dis
cussed.
The issue first came up during
a recent meeting between coun
ty and city officials to update
House Bill 489, the shared ser
vices agreement. Joiner said he
believes the council should be
responsible for renaming roads
in the city limits.
The previous county admin
istration changed the name of
a county-maintained road in
the Jefferson city limits with
out notifying the city. The road
runs in front of the Kubota
Industrial Equipment facil
ity in Jefferson and has been
known as Hog Mountain Road,
McClure Industrial Blvd. and
Sealey Road.
The board of commission-
“It is immaterial to me if
it’s Sealey
Road or
Hopkins
Hwy., but
the county
does not
have
the authority to name
city streets. That is
my whole issue. ”
— Jefferson mayor
Jim Joiner
ers renamed that portion of
McClure Industrial Blvd. to
Sealey Road in October 2008.
According to meeting min
utes, Jefferson never officially
took action to rename the road
from Hog Mountain Road to
McClure Industrial Drive.
At the meeting Monday,
councilman Steve Kinney said
that Jefferson leaders agreed in
continued on page 5/
Graduation ceremonies
coming up next week
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
GRADUATES IN area high
schools will soon be turning
their tassels.
Jefferson, Jackson County
Comprehensive and East
Jackson Comprehensive high
schools will all hold their annu
al graduation ceremonies next
week.
Jefferson High School will
hand out diplomas to 136
seniors during its graduation
ceremony on Friday, May 22, at
8 p.m., at Memorial Stadium.
In the event of rain, JHS will
move its graduation ceremony
to the gymnasium that same
night and time.
JHS will feature valedictori
ans — Daniel Miller and Kyle
Roberds — and two salutato-
rians — Ashley Etchison and
Colby Fowler.
Also during the ceremony,
the school will honor seniors
who completed the Total Person
Program.
Jackson County
Comprehensive High School
will hold its graduation cer
emony on Friday, May 22, at 8
p.m., at Panther Stadium.
In the event of rain, the school
plans to make every attempt
possible to hold the ceremony
as originally planned.
However, in the event of rain,
JCCHS will hold its graduation
on Saturday, May 23, at 10
a.m. Should rain still delay the
ceremony, it will be held at 8
p.m. that evening.
continued on page 5A