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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010
Legislative session comes to an end April 29
Chamber to lead effort
to support SPLOST vote
By Mark Beardsley
THAT COLLECTIVE sigh
of relief you hear is coming
from under the Gold Dome
in Atlanta, where the Georgia
General Assembly has final
ized its 2011 budget.
Now the legislature is
enjoying having the pressure
off after a long, contentious
process of budget slashing.
“We are,” confirmed Rep.
Tommy Benton.
The 40-day session will
grind to a halt Thursday,
April 29. The legislature
met Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday this week and is
scheduled to finish the 2010
session Tuesday and Thursday
of next week.
It hasn't been easy.
As of Monday afternoon.
Benton said he felt like the
major obstacles between the
House and Senate versions of
the budget have been ironed
out - mainly passage of the bill
increasing a variety of state
fees and the bill including
the “Medicaid provider fee”
to be assessed against hos-
By Mark Beardsley
JACKSON COUNTY is
“very close” to landing a major
new industry, the Jackson
County Area Chamber of
Commerce board of directors
learned last Friday.
Chairman Shane Short said
the company — whose identi
ty remains confidential pend
ing completion of a contract
— would provide about 400
jobs if it elects to locate at a
Jefferson site.
The company, which is also
looking at a site in South
Carolina, will assemble, dis
tribute and sell its product
retail at the site, should it
locate here.
Before the directors met,
Short said the company would
also generate about $600,000
in sales taxes annually.
In addition, the chamber
began working with three new
projects over the past month,
giving it 31 projects for the
year.
“I am really pleased with
the activity,” said Short, who
pointed out to the directors
pitals' revenues. The Senate
approved the $175 million
“Medicaid provider fee” by
an overwhelming majority.
“If the Senate changes any
thing, it will come back to
us,” Benton said. “I don't
know that it would be any
thing major.”
If the General Assembly
is relieved to get the budget
passed, local school boards
are now under the gun to deal
with the effects of the latest
state revenue cuts.
For example, the Jackson
County Board of Education
will get about $4 million less
than it did last year.
The budget contains no fur
lough days, but Benton pre
dicted that some systems will
consider furloughs as one
means of dealing with the
funding shortfall.
In all, between QBE rev
enue and equalization cuts,
the state will send some $700
million less to school boards
in 2010-2011 than in the cur
rent fiscal year.
“The budget has gone from
that the county is seeing “a lot
more manufacturing, not just
distribution. A couple of them
would be really good for us.”
The level of activity is
such, said Short, that “there is
potentially a possibility for us
by the end of the year to not
have a lot of space available.”
“That would be a good
problem to have,” he added.
Short also reported on a
meeting of the “joint devel
opment authority” compris
ing Jackson and several other
counties, noting that the group
was meeting “in front of the
people who make these (site
selection) decisions.”
Clarke County will soon
join that authority and Oconee
County has petitioned for
membership.
CHAMBER FINANCES
REMAIN STRONG
Through the first three
months of the year, the cham
ber’s financial picture remains
strong, according to treasurer
Emily Howell.
For March, the chamber had
net income of almost $14,000,
$21.1 billion down to $17.4
billion,” said Benton. “If you
adjust for population, we're
right at 2000 per capita lev
els. If you adjust for inflation,
we’re at the mid 1990s.”
Benton said Georgia, one
of 44 states with a revenue
shortfall, is not among the 30
states that have raised taxes
since the recession. That
position requires one to con
sider the “Medicaid provider
fee” a fee rather than a tax,
Benton admits.
“It's been a long session,”
Benton said. “It really has.”
There is still business to be
completed.
The long-awaited transpor
tation bill that would provide
a sort of local option trans
portation sales tax was in a
Transportation subcommittee
Monday.
The bill would allow a ref
erendum by regional devel
opment commission districts
to fund local transportation
needs with a new one-cent
sales tax. A major bone of
contention is a provision that
bringing its net income for
2010 up to over $55,000. As
of March 30, the chamber had
more than $153,000 cash in
hand.
AWAITING STATE
WORK READY
ANNOUNCEMENT
Howard Ledford, the coor
dinator of instruction for
Lanier Technical College's
Commerce campus, said he
is awaiting state validation of
Jackson County as a Work
Ready county.
“Thanks to the county for
opening the doors for us last
Friday,” he said, referring to
a final push to certify pub
lic employees at which 23
employees of Jackson County
took the Work Keys exams.
“Did any of us pass?”
cracked Hunter Bicknell.
chairman of the board of com
missioners and one of the test-
takers.
Jackson County lacked 18
certified public employees for
meeting its state goal. Word
on those test scores is expect
ed late this week or early
would allow a county to “opt
out” of the district if it was
unhappy with the proposed
program of work to be funded
by the five-year tax.
“I’m afraid it is going to be
a sticking point right now for
a good many people,” Benton
said. However, he added that
he will support the bill with
or without the “opt out” if he
is “convinced that the bill will
be good for Jackson County
the way it is written.”
Also yet to be finalized is a
bill strengthening wording in
opposition to the “inter-basin
transfer” of water. That’s a
bill important to Northeast
Georgia counties fearful that
their water might be used
to slake Atlanta's thirst if
Atlanta loses some or all of
its rights to water from Lake
Lanier.
Benton’s bill requiring
manufacturers of antifreeze
to make antifreeze taste bitter
is in the Rules Committee.
Benton thinks it could be on
the House calendar today
(Wednesday) for a vote.
next.
Assuming 18 of the 23 April
9 test takers earned certifica
tion, Jackson would be the
first among “metro Atlanta”
counties to be declared Work
Ready.
“That would be a star in our
crown,” said Ledford.
Jackson County began seek
ing Work Ready certification
in 2006. Ledford noted it took
the county a year to get its
first 200 Work Ready certified
workers.
“We did over 200 last
month.” he noted.
The county's goal was 683
certificates; it has awarded
1,386 so far, Ledford report
ed. However, while the county
had more than enough total
certified workers, it lacked 18
in the area of public workers.
Once the county is certi
fied, it will begin working on
the recertification process, for
which it can get a $10,000
grant.
“We’re real excited. I think
we'll be well over the top,”
Ledford concluded.
By Mark Beardsley
ONCE THE plans are
finalized for a proposed
new six-year special pur
pose local option sales tax
(SPLOST) vote in November,
the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce will
lead an “aggressive” cam
paign in support of its pas
sage.
Just what that means was
a topic at last Friday's meet
ing of the chamber’s board
of directors. Arcade Mayor
Doug Haynie brought the
issue up.
“Are there any absolute
deal breakers - ‘if it's this,
we won’t support it'?” he
asked.
Chamber chairman Shane
Short told the directors that
he’s heard that projects pro
posed for funding with the
estimated $47 million such
a tax would generate, should
not be “fluff.”
“Debt is probably the num
ber one thing I hear out there
that people would be sup
portive of,” Short said.
Hunter Bicknell chairman
of the Jackson County Board
of Commissioners confirmed
that position.
“We're looking at debt.” he
said, for “far and away the
lion’s share” of the county’s
SPLOST proceeds.
Those funds would go to
pay down the debt on the
new $45 million county jail
and the debt owed by the
Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority for water
and sewerage work.
Bicknell said the county’s
current plans include about
$8 million for roads and
bridges, $2 million for rec
reation and $1.2 million for
new EMS stations.
“We don't have any fluff-
type projects in there at all,”
Bicknell insisted.
While previous SPLOST
referendums have passed
easily, that was then - this
is now.
“Things have changed.”
Short acknowledged. “There
is sort of an anti-govern
ment, anti-tax sentiment out
there.”
President Sam McDuffie
suggested that it is critical
that “citizens be aware that
SPLOST is a way for citizens
outside of our county to help
us pay for these things.”
The chamber hopes to have
estimates of just what portion
of SPLOST revenues comes
from non-residents. Previous
estimates have ranged from
40 to 60 percent.
“The burden (of taxation)
should not always be on the
property owners.” opined
Keith Ariail.
Bicknell reiterated the
county's stance on what will
happen if the voters do not
renew the tax.
“This debt we want to pay
off, the citizens will pay one
way or another,” he said,
adding, “The brunt will be
on the property owners.”
Short said names are
already being mentioned to
represent the county and the
cities on a chamber commit
tee that will devise the pro
motional campaign. By law,
the governments can neither
support nor oppose the issue
- hence the chamber’s role.
“This board recognizes
the role SPLOST plays for
the cities,” Short assured.
Once the county and the cit
ies finalize their plans, Short
said he will present a resolu
tion to the chamber board of
directors for assuming the
lead role in promoting pas
sage of the referendum.
The one-cent sales tax
currently being collected
expires next year. Proceeds
are shared among the coun
ty government, the county
water and sewerage authority
and the nine municipalities
in the county, largely on the
basis of population.
While each of the enti
ties is working up a distribu
tion formula for allocating
individual shares. Jackson
County’s municipalities are
also discussing the formu
la that determines how the
cities’ shares are divided.
Currently, the basis for allo
cation is the 2000 census, but
most of the municipalities
appear to favor updating the
formula once the 2010 cen
sus numbers are available.
Industry considering locating at Jefferson site
Comprehensive plan update topic of planning commission
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE JACKSON County
Planning Commission, county
planning staff and consultant
Jerry Weitz met Thursday to
discuss the comprehensive plan
update.
This is a 10-year comprehen
sive plan dealing with 20 years,
2010-2030. Gina Mitsdarffer.
county public development
director, reported.
The county has held six town
hall meetings to give residents a
chance to discuss the plan and
voice any concerns they might
have had.
Jackson County Board of
Commissioner Bruce Yates was
also in attendance at Thursday's
meeting and spoke on the
update of the plan.
“If you don’t have a plan,
you don’t know where you
are going,” he said. “I feel like
the comp plan is the people’s
plan.”
Planning commission mem
ber A1 Venable said he has been
concerned with the commercial
area designated in the plan.
“I am more at ease with com
mercial now than I was earlier,”
Venable said.
Weitz said, “This is still a
revision and there will be anoth
er revision, at least one.”
Planning commission mem
ber Jimmy Ford asked, “There
are two overlay districts on
Highway 98 and 441, are they
commercial?”
Weitz advised Nicholson,
Commerce and the county
would have the same set of stan
dards for the overlay districts.
This will help keep the overlay
districts uniform when property
is annexed from the county into
the cities, staff reported.
Weitz said annexing doesn’t
hurt the tax base for the county.
“But every time a city annex
es property, it takes revenue
away from the county school
system,” Weitz said.
Planning commission chair
man Jeff Perry asked. “Is it pos
sible to use an overlay district to
protect agricultural?”
Weitz advised some additions
would need to be made in the
plan to do this.
Perry suggested that the plan
ning staff compile a pamphlet
of frequently asked questions
to have available for use by
people coming to the planning
department.
Mitsdarffer advised a public
hearing on the comprehensive
plan community agenda is set
for 6 p.m. on Thursday, April
22, prior to the monthly plan
ning commission meeting.
“You will have some people
speak at the meeting,” she said.
Once the community agenda
is approved, it will be submitted
to state for approval.
Candidates to speak
at chamber breakfast
ALL OF THE (so far) announced candidates for Senate
District 47 have agreed to appear before the membership of
the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce Wednesday,
May 5.
The chamber will use its 7:30 breakfast at Jackson EMC
for a political forum featuring the candidates vying to replace
Ralph Hudgens in that seat. Hudgens is running for state insur
ance commissioner.
The breakfast will be open to the public at $5 per person.
Announced candidates include Shane Coley, Barrow County,
Kelly Gary, Hoschton, and Doug Bower. Oglethorpe County.
All are running as Republicans. Pat Graham, Braselton,
announced this week she is withdrawing from the race.
District 47 is made up of all of Barrow, Madison and
Oglethorpe counties, as well as a large part of Jackson County
and smaller areas of Elbert and Clarke counties.
▼
RELAY
FOR LIFE
On Friday evening, June 4, 2010 the Opening Ceremonies for this year’s American
Cancer Society RELAY FOR LIFE presented by Wayne and Heather Abbs,
Wayne-Neal Chevrolet will begin at East Jackson County High School. There will be
Luminaries to line the track area. The Luminaries will be lit in memory and honor of
loved ones and friends who have had cancer. The Lighting Ceremony will begin at
9:30 p.m., and everyone is invited to attend.
We want to give everyone an opportunity to pay tribute to their loved ones and friends AND help fight
this disease that claims so many lives.
You do not need to be an actual participant in this Celebration to take part in this tribute. With your
donation the individuals you designate will be written on the luminary to be lit on Friday evening.
If you would like to participate in our candle lighting, clip and send in the form below. The sooner we
stop this disease, the more lives we can save.
Thank You.
Please light a candle in memory or in honor of my loved one/friend. I understand that the proceeds will
go to benefit the American Cancer Society. Please print legibly the following information:
In Memory
In Honor
From: (Your name and address)
Amount enclosed ($5 minimum per luminary) Number of Luminaries
Please make check payable to the American Cancer Society and mail or give to:
Gail & Larry Banks Luminary Service sponsored
1347 Lewis Roberts Rd. by Jackson EMC
Jefferson, GA 30549
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