Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
H Wednesday, June 10, 2009
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 133 NO. 43 52 PAGES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50<f COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Child reportedly shot
over dropped water
melon page 2A
•Mitsdarffer hired for
public development
director page 2A
•WJ park to see
upgrades .... page 3A
•Braselton looks at
staff cuts page 5A
Op /Ed:
•'Jefferson should be
careful on grant'
page 4A
Sports:
•Hoschton girl works
toward Olympics
page 7B
Features:
•Summer reading
programs under way
page 7C
Other News:
•School News
. . . pages 8 &12A
3, 7, 8 & 12B
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
. . . pages 7-28C, 71A
•Church News
page 6B
•Obituaries
pages 9- 7 OA
Q -R
More
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
School System is facing some
grim financial news, the board of
education learned on Monday.
After cutting $4 million in
its proposed 2009-2010 budget
through layoffs, furloughs and
closing the Regional Evening
School, another $3 million cut
may be needed.
And that may still leave the
school system with an estimated
$2 million deficit by the end of
next fiscal year.
“Make no mistake — we re
school cuts looming
between a rock and a hard
place,” said Jeff Sanchez, assis
tant superintendent for finance
and support services for the
school system.
While there are a number of
factors impacting the budget,
there are two key problems -
less money coming from the
state and lower-than-expected
revenue from local property
taxes.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams said those two factors
make it the “perfect storm to
impact our budget in a very neg
ative way.”
On Monday, the Jackson
County Board of Education
adopted its tentative 2009-2010
budget for $89.3 million—about
$1.3 million less from last year’s
budget of $90.6 million. The
BOE is expected to adopt a final
ized budget in October.
Meanwhile, the school board
approved a short-term Tax
Anticipation Note (TAN) from
Regions Bank for $14.5 mil
lion until tax revenue is collected
later in the year.
But without a miracle, Sanchez
said the district’s general fund
budget will end the 2008-2009
fiscal year on June 30 with a
deficit, although he didn’t know
what amount.
The latest general fund budget
figures show that the school sys
tem is facing a $955,400 short
fall with its first deficit for the
2008-2009 fiscal year.
One key source of revenue -
local property taxes - remains
below the $34 million initially
planned in the 2008-2009 bud
get.
With the fiscal year ending on
June 30, the school system has
collected 87 percent, or $29 mil
lion, of its anticipated local prop
erty taxes. At the same point last
year, the district had collected 95
percent of local taxes. The differ
ence comes to $868,500.
Jackson County Tax
Commissioner Don Elrod
recently sent 2,100 delinquent
tax notices, according to Adams.
A tax digest for next year that
could include reduced property
assessments hasn't been com
pleted.
continued on page 3A
Arcade unable
to offer usual
charity support
By Brandon Reed
THE TOUGH economy’s effect
on small towns reared its head again
Monday night during the monthly
meeting of the Arcade City Council.
Representatives from Court
Appointed Special Advocates and
Jackson County Certified Literate
Community spoke at separate times
to the council members, seeking dona
tions to keep the programs running.
But with the city in the red over
$100,000 for the year so far and fur
loughing employees, council member
Ron Smith said that until the city can
see the black, it has to cut things back.
“We’ve always supported you,”
Smith added. “But it’s hard on every
one.”
Mayor Doug Haynie echoed Smith’s
sentiments later in the meeting.
“We "re a huge supporter of CASA,
that's the one thing that might give a
child a chance that might not otherwise
have one, and the Certified Literacy
Program because once you try to start
bettering yourself, you make a greater
contribution to everyone you touch.
When we get to the point where we
can, we will.”
Both representatives expressed the
understanding of the city's situation.
“I know you’d give if you could,”
CASA representative Annette
Raymond said. “You always have.
We appreciate that very much.”
Sandra Fite, representing the
Certified Literacy Program, echoed
that sentiment following her presenta
tion.
“I understand, and I thank you. I
thank you for what you’ve done in the
past and what I know you're going to
do in the future.”
The city also voted unanimously to
pass an ordinance on miscellaneous
fees. The fees schedule covers items
such as copies, incident reports and
accident reports. The fees range from
$.30 to $5. The ordinance takes effect
on June 9.
Industrial park fire
FIRE AT INDUSTRY
A minor fire was reported at Synthetic Industries, located
off of Holland Drive, between Pendergrass and Jefferson,
was reported Tuesday. It started from an incinerator
inside the building, reports Jefferson fire chief Bobby
Gooch.
BOC dumps comprehensive plan consultant
BYANGELA GARY
THE JACKSON County Board
of Commissioners has terminated
its contract with consultant David
Sutton and decided to hire another
consultant to update the comprehen
sive plan.
At a called meeting Tuesday morn
ing, the BOC unanimously agreed
to end the contract with Sutton
because the project has “fallen
behind schedule.”
“What we have seen in this calen
dar year...was not the expectations
of the commission and staff,” county
manager Darrell Hampton said.
Jerry Weitz and Associates was
hired to handle the update. The fee
will be a maximum of $57,600. Weitz
is also a consultant for the Jefferson
and Talmo Planning Commission
(formerly known as the Quad Cities
Planning Commission).
The comprehensive plan update
must be completed by October 2010.
“I want to make sure we have input
from the community,” commissioner
Bruce Yates said.
Yates also asked for a detailed
update on the status of the work that
has been done so far.
“I’d like to know where we are so
we can go forward,” he said.
Jackson Herald wins three state awards
THE JACKSON Herald won
three awards in the Georgia Press
Association's Better Newspaper
Contest last week.
The Herald won first place for
best editorial page. The judge wrote:
“Newspapers in this division were
blessed with lots of letters and extra
pages to run them. The Jackson
Herald was the best with a good mix
of columns, letters and clean editorial
opinions.”
Features editor Jana Mitcham won
first place for business coverage. The
judge wrote: “Extraordinary coverage
that went beyond the first paragraph.
Complete package with interesting
art and breaks. Excellent entry in
extremely strong field.”
The Herald also won third place for
editorial writing.
OTHER AWARDS
Two other MainStreet Newspapers
publications located in Jackson
County, The Braselton News and The
Commerce News, also won awards in
the contest.
Tlte Braselton News won four first
place awards, including one for edito
rial writing. The judge wrote: “This
paper did the best job in its category of
describing local issues and then taking
a stand on them. You have no problem
seeing the paper’s position.”
Tlte Braselton News also won first
place in local news coverage. The
judge wrote: “This was the clear win-
continued on page 3A
Jefferson begins
budget process
BYANGELA GARY
THE FIRST three city department budgets
for 2010 were presented to the Jefferson City
Council Monday night. Each calls for decreases
in spending, or only small increases.
Additional city department budgets will be
presented at the city council meeting set for 6
p.m. on Monday, June 15, at the civic center.
The final budget is set to be approved at the
Aug. 24 council meeting.
At this week’s meeting, police chief Joe
Wirthman presented a $1.86 million budget,
which is down two percent from the current
budget of $1.89 million.
Wirthman said some of the decreases include
vehicles and uniforms. He added that a school
resource officer position, which has not been
in place since 2005, was also taken out of the
budget.
Fire chief Bobby Gooch presented a $501,700
budget, which is up 0.30 percent over the current
budget of $500,200. Gooch said the department
wants to purchase two thermal imaging cameras
at a cost of $9,000 each. These are used to locate
“hot spots” and bodies inside burning homes.
Civic center director Michelle Head presented
a proposed $179,900 budget, which is up 0.13
percent over the current budget of $179,650.
She said that salaries and wages are down some
because the hours for part-time staff has been
decreased slightly and the pay rate has changed.
YEAR TO DATE
For the first five months of its 2009 budget
year, Jefferson had collected more property taxes
than it anticipated, $2.7 million compared to $2.5
that had been budgeted.
But that was about all the good news in the
city’s recent budget report. Sales taxes are run-
continued on page 3A
Sardis church
seeking council
support on grant
BYANGELA GARY
A JEFFERSON church is seeking support
from the Jefferson City Council on a $500,000
grant to create jobs for the area.
Linda Lloyd, grant writer, and Lila Mason,
church member, spoke on Sardis Presbyterian
Church’s plans at a work session Monday night.
The request will be on the agenda for a vote
when the council meets at 6 p.m. on Monday,
June 15, at the civic center.
The church is asking the city to serve as the
“fiscal agent” for the $500,000 Community
Development Block grant. The money would
be used for several projects, including the
church serving as a job training center and
offering small business loans. The city would
receive $30,000 to serve as the fiscal agent.
Lloyd said the church is calling the program
“Job Ready” and plans to create 50 jobs. Home
health aides, social work assistants, day care
workers, after school tutors and food service
workers are among the types of employees to
be trained.
"The program will focus on the unemployed,
children, elderly and disabled,” Lloyd said.
“This can be a ‘multi-million dollar opera
tion' .. .We can do this without the grant, but the
grant will make it easier.”
Other plans include: Becoming a Medicaid
provider; offering senior citizens meals through
the Meal on Wheels program; opening a “health
and empowerment” center at the church; and
offering Certified Nursing Assistant programs.
As for the Meals on Wheels program, Lloyd
continued on page 5A