Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
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sTzy i.
H Wednesday, July 1, 2009
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 133 NO. 46 46 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50c COPY
Area news:
cwiccer
BraseltonCA
Visiting our area? Want lo li
here? Find hotels, homes oi
amenities in Srasekon. Co I
•Town of Braselton
starts 'tweeting'
page 5A
Jackson County tax digest growth flat
DURING THE boom years,
Jackson County’s tax digest grew
massively as new construction and
property values soared. Even in
2008, the county’s digest — that is
the value of all taxable property in
the county — grew by nearly eight
percent.
But this year, a preliminary county
report indicates the digest may grow
by only one percent — and that may be
a high estimate given the large number
of assessment appeals being fded.
The deadline for assessment appeals
is July 13. So far, 512 appeals have
been filed.
If those appeals prove to be suc
cessful, the county’s net taxable digest
could shrink further, perhaps even into
negative numbers.
Although records are incomplete,
the last time the county’s tax digest
is known to have moved into negative
numbers was during the depression of
the 1930s.
While some areas of the county’s
gross digest actually grew in the pre
liminary digest estimates, a decline
in agriculture values and a growth
in exemptions offset much of the
growth.
A worry for county leaders now is
that while this year’s digest may stay
more or less even, the lack of con
struction in 2009 could undermine the
digest next year even more.
Jackson County Tax Digest
Growth History
2008-09 +1.3% (estimated)
2007-08 +7.7%
2006-07 +23%
2005-06 +14%
2004-05 +9.6%
2003-04 +4%
• FDIC issues orders
against two local banks
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'New law creates
school choice' page 4A
Sports:
•Jackson County pre
pares for Dizzy Dean
World Series
page IB
Features:
•Photos from the
Jefferson Freedom
Festival
page 1C
Other News:
•School News
pages 9A-10A, 3B
•Public Safety
pages 6-8A
•Legals
pages 10-28C
•Church News
page 6B
•Obituaries
page 7B
Renovations at Crawford W. Long Museum
PAINT JOB
A worker helping with renovations at the Crawford W. Long Museum, Jefferson, is preparing
the building for a new paint job. The museum is undergoing an estimated $200,000 renova
tion project, half of which is being funded by the USDA Rural Development program. The
museum is closed and is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2009. All exhibits are currently
being housed off-site and when the museum reopens, the exhibits will be updated.
Photo by Katie Huston
Planners approve special use request
Farmer doesn't want gated community on Ga. Hwy. 60
BY ANGELA GARY
A REQUEST for a subdivision in North Jackson
to be a “gated community” was approved by the
Jackson County Planning Commission despite con
cerns from a neighboring farmer that odors from
his operation would be a problem for the “higher
clientele” being targeted.
The planners recommended approval for the
request from H.P. Land LLC for a special use per
mit to classify “The Fields of Walnut Creek” as a
gated community with private roads. The subdivi
sion is located at 4600 Hwy. 60 in Pendergrass.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners
will consider the recommendation of the planning
commission and take final action when it meets at 6
p.m. on Monday, July 20, in the courthouse.
At the planning commission meeting Thursday
night, William Carlyle, who has a poultry and cattle
business near the subdivision, said the action would
be “another nail in the coffin of my business and
my way of life.” He said the subdivision and farm
“would not co-exist.”
Carlyle said his father and grandfather also
farmed on the property and his ancestors moved to
the community in the mid-1800s.
“This would be a total disregard to the agricul
ture community that has built this county,” Carlyle
said.
Developer Scott Wood presented the request and
pointed out that the plats for the subdivision would
all state that the development is located near a poul
try operation. He said those who purchase property
would be aware of this.
Planning commission chairman Tim Cornelison
said: “Our interest is to protect the interest of the
farming community...Agriculture is very impor
tant to Jackson County. We have to work to protect
that.. .and balance it with other uses of land.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the planning commission rec
ommended approval of the following:
•a request from James Ray Mattox to rezone
6.215 acres at Old Savage Road from Agricultural
Rural Farm District (A-2) to Low Density Single
Family Residential (R-l) for a four lot split.
•a request from Cindy Braymiller to rezone 4
acres of a 13.224 acre parcel located at 65 Cane
Creek from Agricultural Rural Farm District (A-2)
to Manufactured Housing District (M-H) to locate
a single family home.
Unemployment rate
moves up in county
AFTER DROPPING in March and April, Jackson
County’s unemployment rate is back up above 10
percent in May to 10.1 percent.
According to the Georgia Department of Labor,
some 2,830 people in Jackson County were unem
ployed in May.
The statewide unemployment rate for Georgia
was 9.5 percent in May.
Jackson’s rate had dropped from a high of 10.2
percent in February to 9.8 in April.
Mav Unemployment Rates
Franklin
11.1%
Barrow
10.7%
Jackson
10.1%
Hall
8.9%
Gwinnett
8.9%
Madison
8.1%
Banks
7.3%
Clarke
6.8%
Oconee
5.8%
July 4th celebration
coming up in Nicholson
BY SHARON HOGAN
NICHOLSON LEADERS are making plans
for the town’s biggest July 4th celebration.
Fireworks, food and entertainment are set for 3
p.m. on Saturday, July
4, at the amphitheater in
Nicholson.
“This is going to be
our biggest July 4th
event so far,” said Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell.
A number of groups
are set to perform beginning at 3 p.m. with Aaron
Hollis followed by The Maxwells at 4 p.m., Mark
Garrison at 5 p.m. and the GTOs beginning at 7
p.m. until the fireworks start.
Fireworks are set for 9 p.m. The Bobby Compton
Band will perform following the fireworks show.
“A Mello Yello chug-off contest will take place
for contestants of all ages,” Maxwell said.
A large variety of food and drinks is planned,
Maxwell said.
“We have bar-be-que, nachos, hot wings, meat-
balls, kettle corn, ice cream, peanuts, pizza, hot
dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, funnel
cakes, bloomin’ onions, watermelon, lemonade,
water and soft drinks,” he said.
There will be inflatables, train rides and pony
rides for the children to enjoy, Maxwell said.
BOC moves on
property settlement
AFTER MEETING in closed session for almost
one hour in a called meeting on June 24, the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners agreed to move for
ward on the settlement of a condemnation dispute.
The BOC gave county manager Darrell Hampton
authority to settle Jackson County vs. J.B. Alexander,
which is now pending in the Superior Court of
Jackson County, for a sum of money within the range
decided upon in closed session. The amount was not
disclosed.
This property is needed for the Steve Reynolds
Blvd. improvement project.
Jackson Herald office to be
closed Friday for holiday
The Jackson Herald office in Jefferson will
be closed Friday, July 3, in observance of the
Independence Day holiday.
The office will return to its normal hours at 8:30
a.m. on Monday, July 6.
BJC auditors critical of lack of financial oversight
By Mark Beardsley
IT’S HARD to tell what was
worse about the audit report
from BJC Medical Center, the
year-end figures for 2008 or
the criticisms of the facility’s
financial reporting.
The audit, which is several
months overdue, determined
that the medical center — which
is seeking a buyer because of its
financial condition — ended the
year $2.9 million in the red.
What makes that figure stand
out is that shortly after the
fiscal year ended, then chief
financial officer Bill Williams
projected a loss for the year of
$190,000.
The difference, according to
current CFO Ray Leadbetter,
was an overly enthusiastic esti
mation of how much of the
medical center’s accounts
receivables would actually be
received.
The chairman of the finance
committee thinks some of the
2008 losses should have been
attributed to prior years.
“We were a little disappoint
ed that some of the adjustments
could not go to previous years,”
noted Rick Massey, who point
ed out that the problems began
before 2008.
In fact, an additional $888,000
did get moved to a prior year.
The auditors concluded that
the financial statements for
2007 contained an error of that
amount — again in the pro
jection of collectible accounts
receivable. When the auditors
shifted that amount back to
2007, what had been reported
as a $126,000 profit became a
$756,000 loss.
In all, over the two years,
the auditors made $3.8 mil
lion in “adjustments” to the
medical center’s statements of
revenues.
The blame for those differ
ences appeared to be put at the
feet of Williams, according to
comments in the audit.
“Significant disagreements
were encountered with the prior
chief financial officer regard
ing the authority’s valuation of
the hospital and nursing home
accounts receivable,” the docu
ment says, “specifically the cal-
continued on page 5A