Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
Benton questions governor’s plans for lottery funds
Contact Rep. Benton
District 31 Rep. Tommy Benton can be
reached by phone at 706-367-5891 (home)
or at 404-656-0177 (office); or by email at
tommy.benton@house.ga.gov.
For daily updates on legislative action and links
to Georgia representatives, U.S. Congressmen,
Senators and other officials, visit Benton’s Web
site at www.tommybenton.com.
Braselton intersections
slated for traffic lights
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
GOV. SONNY Perdue
has plans to tap the Georgia
Lottery revenue to fund schol
arships previously financed
through other means, but
Rep. Tommy Benton doesn’t
think he can do it.
“I don’t think it’s con
stitutional,” said Benton
(R-Jefferson), explaining that
the state passed legislation
where the only way to divert
lottery funds beyond Pre-K
and the HOPE scholarship
program would be to get leg
islative approval.
‘‘He’ll need 120 votes,”
Benton observed. “I don’t
think he’ll get it.”
Benton said he would cast
his vote against the move.
Perdue’s hope to divert $34
million in lottery funding
is a product of the revenue
shortfall facing the General
Assembly, and there is lit
tle good news on that front,
Benton reports.
“I’ve not heard a lot about
the budget hearings from
last week, although what
I have heard has not been
very encouraging,” he said.
“I don’t know of anybody
down here that wants to cut
education, but there’s just not
a whole lot of stuff that can
be cut out of other agencies
and departments without just
wiping them totally out.”
The subject has generated
a few emails from within the
district and several from out
side.
“Folks are just concerned
we’re backing up,” he said,
adding: “The deficit would
be worse than it is if we
didn’t still have some federal
money coming down. Next
year could be worse than this
one.”
Meanwhile, although lot
tery sales are increasing, the
lottery itself is expected to
experience a shortfall in just
a few years. Benton has been
thinking about how to stave
that off.
He made a pitch to the
chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee
Monday proposing that
HOPE funds be withheld for
a college student’s first year
- but the student would be
reimbursed if he or she main
tained eligibility in that fresh
man year.
“We’re losing about half of
the people (that get the schol
arship)” Benton said, mean
ing about half of Georgia stu
dents lose their eligibility for
the scholarship.
According to Benton, Ben
Harbin, chairman of the com
mittee, said he’d “need to run
it by the speaker to see if he
would go with that.”
“They’ve got enough to take
care of HOPE this year before
we get to a point where we’d
be spending more than we’re
bringing in,” Benton said.
BENTON BILL
CLEARS RULES
While no legislation had
come to the House floor yet
as of Monday, Benton got a
bill he introduced last year
out of the Rules Committee
so it can go to the House
floor.
It’s his legislation that
would require the addition
of a bitter taste to antifreeze
sold in Georgia. Benton intro
duced the legislation at the
request of a constituent, and
it never got out of committee
last year.
He is also following up
on the request made last
year by a couple of constitu
ents to review how personal
motor vehicles are insured in
Georgia.
The idea, said Benton, is
to insure drivers rather than
vehicles so that the owner of
four vehicles would have just
one policy.
Benton said when he
approached speaker Glenn
Richardson last year about
the concept Richardson said
it would require the forma
tion of a study committee to
consider the feasibility.
“He said there was not any
money for study commit
tees last year,” Benton said.
“I’m fairly certain there is no
money for a study committee
this year either.”
Benton said the Office
of Legislative Counsel has
expressed reservations about
the idea because of possible
complications with the laws
other states, all of whom
require insurance on each
vehicle.
“That’s something we’ll
have to look at as well,”
Benton said.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
TWO BUSY intersections
in Braselton are slated to get
new traffic signals this year.
The intersection of the new
Ga. Hwy. 347 (Friendship
Road) at Spout Springs Road
has been open for motorists
for several months, after a
developer funded the road
way. A traffic signal is in the
works for that intersection.
The new four-lane road
way in South Hall runs
between a Kroger-anchored
retail center and a shopping
center to be anchored by
Publix that is under con
struction.
Now, an old section of
Ga. Hwy. 347 (Friendship
Road) on the south side of
the Kroger-anchored shop
ping center will be given to
a developer.
The Georgia Department
of Transportation gave the
almost half-mile stretch
of the state highway to
the Hall County Board of
Commissioners, who later
deeded it to Braselton in
December.
Braselton is now deeding
that portion of Ga. Hwy.
347 — which ends at a five-
points intersection known
as “Duncan Corners” — to
Hawgshead Development
Corporation. The town
council approved the action
on Monday.
The move will include
making a small portion
of the roadway as a one
way street with access to
a mini-storage facility on
Friendship Road.
With the land transfer
from the town, a develop
ment company can contin
ue to move forward with
installing a traffic light at
the traffic-congested five-
points intersection of Spout
Springs Road, Thompson
Mill Road and Friendship
Road.
When Braselton annexed
property for a retail cen
ter at the intersection of
Thompson Mill Road and
Spout Springs Road in 2007,
it required the developer to
install a traffic signal at the
intersection.
Both traffic signal proj
ects in the area now hinge
on the developers funding
the ventures to continue
the required process to
install the devices. A DOT
spokesperson didn’t know
when those signals may be
installed.
Overall, the road changes
highlight plans for a major
re-alignment and widen
ing project of Ga. Hwy.
347 from 1-985 in Flowery
Branch to Ga. Hwy. 211 in
Braselton.
Currently, the DOT is
in the process of buying
rights-of-way for the 7.9-
mile project.
“There are 232 parcels
that we must buy for this
project,” said Teri Pope, a
spokesperson for the DOT.
So far, the state transpor
tation agency has only pur
chased 67 parcels — and
Georgia law requires that
the DOT buy all of the nec
essary rights-of-way before
it can begin accepting bids
for the project, she added.
The tentative construction
year for the Ga. Hwy. 347
(also known as Thompson
Mill Road in Braselton) is
the 2012 fiscal year, which
starts on July 1, 2011,
Pope said. The 2012 fis
cal year ends on June 30,
2012. However, that time
line depends on how long
it takes to purchase rights-
of-way.
The realignment and wid
ening project has a total
estimated price tag of $98.8
million. It has been con
sidered a crucial project in
determining when Northeast
Georgia Medical Center
opens a proposed hospital
in Braselton, if it receives
approval in a lawsuit under
review by the Georgia Court
of Appeals.
Pendergrass council approves loan resolution
BY BRANDON REED
THE PENDERGRASS City Council
voted to approve a resolution renew
ing a loan on the city hall and library
building.
Mayor Monk Tolbert said the reso
lution had to be approved at the first
of each year. He said the balance on
the loan is in the neighborhood of
$107,000.
The resolution was approved unani
mously.
The city council also heard the month
ly library report Tuesday night. The
library saw 79 patrons for the previous
month, including 66 computer users.
The library obtained two adult fiction
books, two children’s fiction, one chil
dren’s non-fiction and two DVDs. The
library also received a total of $17.25 in
book sales, copies and faxes.
Scott Davidson, president of the
Blackberry Farms homeowner’s associ
ation, asked the council if the city could
do something to help control traffic in
the neighborhood during Halloween.
Tolbert said the city would look into
what they could do about that, and
asked Davidson to bring it back before
them closer to the holiday.
EPD to hold public hearing Feb. 18 on Plant Dahlberg
THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protection
Division will hold a public hearing Feb.
18 on a proposal to double the electrical
output of the Plant Dahlberg combustion
turbine generating plant in Center.
The hearing is set for 6 p.m. in the
Jackson County Courthouse, General
Jackson Drive, Jefferson.
The EPD will have representatives
available to discuss plans to build and
operate four new simple-cycle combus
tion turbines that would increase the
plant’s output from 770 megawatts to
1530 megawatts.
Plant Dahlberg is a natural gas-fueled,
simple-cycle combustion turbine elec
tric-generating plant used to generate
electricity for Southern Power. Eight of
its 10 units went online in 2000, while
the other two went online in 2001. The
site is designed to accommodate 16
units.
Typically, the plant runs when the
demand for electricity nears a peak -
when electricity is at its most expensive.
Southern Power is a subsidiary of
The Southern Company, which is the
parent company of Georgia Power Co.,
Alabama Power Co., Gulf Power Co.
and Mississippi Power Co. It acquires,
builds, manages and owns electrical gen
erating plants.
Immediately following the public
meeting, the EPD will hold a public
hearing at which time citizens may pres
ent data, make a statement or offer a
comment in support of or in opposition
to the proposed permit change, either
orally or in writing.
A copy of the permit application is
available at the County Administrative
Building, 67 Athens Street, Jefferson.
Maysville to meet Thursday
THE MAYSVILLE City Council will hold a called meet
ing on Thursday, January 28, at 6 p.m. with USDA Rural
Development representatives to discuss the letter of condi
tions for a $9,000 grant received by the Maysville Police
Department.
A workshop meeting of the council will follow.
Jackson County, Georgia and national elections coming up in 2010
JACKSON COUNTY voters will
have plenty on their political plates
in 2010 between county, state and
national elections.
The primaries are July 20. All
general and non-partisan elections
are Nov. 2.
Qualifying for the July primaries
runs from April 26 at 9 a.m. to April
30 at noon.
Qualifying for the November gen
eral elections and non-partisan elec
tions runs from June 28 at 9 a.m. to
July 2 at noon.
The voter registration deadline
for the July primaries is June 21.
The deadline for the November
elections is Oct. 4.
Here’s a rundown of what’s on the
ballot this election year:
•Two commission spots are up
for grabs - those currently held by
Bruce Yates, District 3; and Dwain
Smith, District four.
•Three Jackson County Board of
Education seats are up for elec
tion - those currently held by Tim
Brooks, District 2; Kathy Wilbanks,
District 3; and Jill McEver Elliott,
District 5.
•Both of Jackson County’s state
representative seats are up for elec
tion: District 31, currently held by
Tommy Benton (R); and District
30, held by Tom McCall (R). The
Senate District 47 seat is also up for
grabs. Incumbent Ralph Hudgens
(R) is running for state insurance
commissioner.
•Commerce will hold a spe
cial election March 16 to fill the
unexpired term of the late Richard
Massey, who represented Ward 5 on
the city council.
•At the state level, voters will
decide elections for both governor
and It. governor this year. Other
state elections include secretary of
state, attorney general, state school
superintendent, state agriculture
commissioner, state insurance com
missioner and state labor commis
sioner.
•Nationally, U.S. senator Johnny
Isakson is up for re-election as is
District 10 U.S. Congressman Paul
Broun.
Local elections
•Commerce Council Ward 5
•Board of Commissioners, Districts 3,4
•Board of Education, Districts 2, 3,5
State elections
•State Senate, District 47
•State Representative, District 31
•State Representative, District 30
•Governor
•Lt. Governor
•Secretary of State
•Attorney General
•State School Superintendent
•State Agriculture Commissioner
•State Insurance Commissioner
•State Labor Commissioner
National elections
•United States Senate
•United States Congress, District 10
2010 calendar
of election events
March 16 - special election date
April 13 - special election runoff date
July 20 - general primary,
special election date
Aug. 10 - primary runoff,
special election runoff
Sept. 21 - special election date
Oct. 19 - special election runoff
Nov. 2 - general/non partisan
election, special election date
Nov. 30 - general/
non partisan election runoff
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