Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
State Senate candidates speak at chamber meeting
Topics include taxes, gov’t spending
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
WHEN THE four candidates
for the Republican nomina
tion for the 47th District seat in
the Georgia State Senate made
their first joint appearance last
Wednesday, taxes and govern
ment spending got the lion's
share of attention.
Doug Bower, Oglethorpe
County; Shane Coley, Statham;
Kelley Gary, Hoschton; and
Frank Ginn, Madison County,
appeared in a political forum
at the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce’s break
fast meeting at Jackson EMC
May 5.
Money was foremost on every
one’s agenda, particularly taxes
and the government use of taxes.
Predictably, all four candidates,
all Republicans, had tittle good to
say about taxes and taxation —
or about government in general.
That’s not to say other issues
didn’t creep into the discussion
— they got one yes/no question
on immigration — but all of
the questions submitted through
moderator Mike Buffington of
MainStreet Newspapers focused
on government spending.
That became apparent with the
first question - about the candi
dates’ top priorities.
Coley led off. His
position, which he
reiterated several
times, is that people
do not understand
personal finance
and “the truth”
about money and
production. The
nation’s monetary
policy, he said, “is
undermining our ability to pro
duce.”
Gary proposed a three-step
effort to promote the economy
starting with tax reform (includ
ing “real tax cuts for businesses”)
zero-based budgeting and shift
ing the burden of funding schools
fully onto the state as a means of
reducing property taxes.
Ginn, moving to his theme,
said as a state senator he would
work to “empower” local gov
ernments to make decisions,
while at the Senate level he
would work on improving the
state’s infrastructure.
“How long ago should 1-85
have been six-laned, much less
eight-laned?” he asked. “These
are things we need to work on.”
Bower said his top priority
would be education
and said the state
should “find ways
to help our teachers
through encourage
ment, support, lis
tening and taking
seriously the things
they're talking
about.”
On the subject
of funding K-12
education, Gary returned to his
“comprehensive tax reform”
theme, proposing that schools
be funded entirely by the state
through a state-wide sales tax.
He said Michigan imposed such
a system a decade ago “and it
worked very well there.”
Ginn appeared to suggest just
the opposite, that all funding
should be local.
“I don't want to take money
from Jackson County, send it to
Atlanta and let them shave
off a good portion,” he
said. “Decisions on funding
schools in Jackson County
should be made right here
with the people who are
accountable.”
Bower pointed out that
his home county is “maxed
out” on its education prop
erty tax rate, and argued that
ways must be found to reduce the
cost of education.
“What can we do to look at
cutting down those costs?” he
asked. “Where are we misspend
ing money?”
Coley proposed eliminating
property and income taxes and
moving to a “fair tax system,”
but one in which money gener
ated in a county would stay in the
county. He also suggested that
Georgia “needs competition” in
education.
Each candidate was asked if he
favored the current property tax
funding of education or a sales
tax for education.
Ginn mostly dodged
the question, but
returned to his posi
tion that local counties
should decide how they
will fund education.
“Who makes
better decisions
than you do?” he
asked.
Bower suggested that
a mix of taxing systems
would be appropriate, again
pointing out that Oglethorpe
County could not produce
enough sales tax to operate
its schools.
“We've (Oglethorpe
County ) got to depend on land-
owners paying,” he said. “They
don't like it. I don't like it, but
that's a reality. The bottom line
is we've got to cut spending.
We’ve got to stop throwing
money around like it’s growing
on trees.”
Coley said he favored a sales
(“consumption use”) tax, in part
because “people get the
pain every time they
make a purchase, but
they are able to avoid
the tax if they want to
save.”
Gary called prop
erty taxes “the most
unfair tax of all. They
don't depend on your
income, they don't
depend on your ability
to pay, and they don't depend
on the government services you
use.”
He also proposed financing
government through a “broadly
based sales tax” and “moving
away from income taxes.”
Not surprisingly, all of the
candidates expressed opposition
to “unfunded mandates” passed
down by the state.
Candidates were asked about
ideas to improve the economy.
Coley said the key is under
standing “the truth about money
and the truth about production,”
and proposed that the state should
reduce the size of government.
Gary argued that unfunded
mandates drive up
local taxes, and again
proposed that the state
take over all funding
for education because
“the state constitution
makes it (education) an
obligation of the state.”
Ginn suggested that
the state suspend its
$80/acre charge for land
disturbing permits as a means of
promoting development.
Bower pled ignorance.
“I don’t know how to stimulate
the Jackson County economy,”
he confessed, “but I'm looking at
a room full of people who do....
Help me help us. I don't have the
solution for your problems over
here, but I think you do.”
Would the candidates support
a statewide sales tax to “offset”
some of the state’s budget prob
lems?
Not if it’s an additional tax,
said Gary, but yes if it replaces a
current tax. Gary also said state
wide budget reform should be a
part of the process.
Ginn indicated he
preferred a county-by-
county tax to keep the
Department of Revenue
out of the loop, Bower
proposed a “mix” of
taxes, including an addi
tional sales tax approved
county by county, and
Coley said he'd favor
a sales tax only if it
replaced other taxes — and reit
erated his position that spending
should be cut.
The final question was a yes/
no question asking if the candi
dates would support an immigra
tion bill similar to that passed in
Arizona. Coley, Gary and Bower
all said they opposed the bill.
Ginn never provided a yes or no
answer, but like the other candi
dates, agreed that immigration
should be better controlled.
COLEY
BOWER
GINN
GARY
County school board agrees to renovate WJPS gym
Existing bleachers to remain in facility
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
WEST JACKSON Primary
School's aging gymnasium is
about to get a major facelift
— following several inspec
tions reviewing possible
mold, water and electrical
problems in the facility.
The Jackson County Board
of Education on Monday
approved spending up to
$25,550 of sales tax revenue
to renovate the decades-old
gym.
That includes spending
$12,000 to refurbish the
existing wooden bleachers to
feature plastic-molded seat
covers.
The school's PTO recently
raised concerns about mold
problems and other condi
tions in the gym making it
unsafe for elementary chil
dren. Some parents said the
mold was causing health
problems for their children,
especially those with severe
asthma.
The PTO paid for a mold
inspection of the gym, which
dates to the 1960s. The school
system also conducted its own
mold inspection of the facil
ity, and later funded asbestos
and electrical inspections of
the gym.
Both mold reports showed
that the level of mold affect
ing the most commonly-visit
ed area of the building — the
gym floor — was relatively
low. The PTO-funded mold
report, however, showed
higher levels of mold spores
under the gym’s bleachers, a
coach's office, an equipment
room and an area beneath the
stage called the “dungeon.”
The Jackson County Health
Department was also recently
asked to conduct an inspec
tion at the WJPS gym.
Richard Harrison, an envi
ronmental health specialist,
visited the school’s gym in
early April — after clean
ing had begun in the facility.
The school system sprayed
chlorine under the bleachers
to remove possible mold and
a cleaning crew also dusted
areas throughout the gym for
two days.
Harrison took several
humidity readings through
out the gym, which were
within the acceptable levels
to control mold growth rec
ommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), according
to his report.
Other than a few tripping
hazards, Harrison said there
were no immediate health
hazards in the gym. However,
he wrote in his report that
floor drains in the restrooms
needed to be replaced.
“It appears to me that
the school district is taking
action to address problems
raised by the PTO, short of
remodeling or building a new
gym,” Harrison wrote in his
report, which was discussed
at a board of education meet
ing on Thursday.
But the issue of replac
ing or refurbishing the orig
inal bleachers in the gym
— where mold was detected
in the PTO-funded inspection
— remained uncertain for the
BOE.
Last month, the school
board approved potentially
spending $40,700 of sales tax
revenue for new bleachers in
the gym. The funds were ear
marked in case it was decided
to replace the bleachers.
On Thursday, superinten
dent Shannon Adams said
the bleachers will remain at
the school — but will be
refurbished with new plas
tic-molded seat covers. The
move would also save the
district money from install
ing new bleachers, he said.
“They’re just too good to
destroy,” Adams said of the
bleachers.
But board member Michael
Cronic, who represents the
West Jackson area, said he
wasn’t happy with refurbish
ing the bleachers — only to
potentially have other par
ents want them replaced
in the future. He initially
favored replacing the bleach
ers. Cronic also said he has
heard a number of concerns
from parents about the WJPS
gym.
“Why do we want to cover
that up and come back two
years later and have to fight
that again,” he said.
Cronic said he has talked to
other mold experts about the
gym and those people said
there's no mold problem in
the building.
“If we don't have a legiti
mate problem, why would we
spend that money,” said board
chairperson Kathy Wilbanks.
“Could we spend it on some
thing else?”
Among the renovation
items planned for the WJPS
gym, upgrading exhaust fans
and installing new ceiling
fans are expected to improve
air circulation in the facility.
The gym doesn’t have air
conditioning.
Dennis Patrick, director of
administrative services for the
school system, said there's
currently no air flow under
the bleachers, but the reno
vation project will improve
circulation.
The district will also con
duct a negative air pressure
test under the bleachers to
check for circulation levels.
Wilbanks also read an email
from the school’s PTO saying
the organization wants the
district to fill in a crawl space
area under the gym. The PTO
also seemed to favor saving
$40,700 by not replacing the
bleachers.
Cronic said he believes it's
also imminent that the gym's
floor will also be replaced.
As part of the renovation
plans approved on Monday,
new lighting will be installed
in the gym, windows and
tiles in the lobby will be
replaced and the interior will
be painted.
‘A DAY AT THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE’
Those interested in the progress of the restoration
of the historic courthouse in downtown Jefferson
attended “A Day at the Historic Courthouse” Saturday.
Hardhat tours of the structure were given by the proj
ect architect. Other highlights included an auction
of courthouse memorabilia, which raised more than
$2,800; altogether, the fundraising netted more than
$4,000 for restoration work. Vintage cars were on dis
play, food vendors were on-hand, music was provided
and speakers were present. See page 1C for more.
Photo by Jana Mitcham
Jefferson ‘streetscape’
project to get under way
BYANGELA GARY
THE “STREETSCAPE”
improvement project in down
town Jefferson is expected to
get under way in the next few
weeks.
Mainstreet Jefferson manag
er Beth Laughinghouse gave an
update on the project at the city
council meeting Monday night.
She said work will begin in the
next few weeks and will last six
to nine months.
During the construction,
updates on the project will be
posted in a storefront window
in downtown, as well as being
on the city website. Meetings
with business owners and resi
dents who will be impacted by
the project will also be held.
“There will be access to all
buildings at all times during
this construction project,” city
manager John Ward said. “We
will use ramps to access build
ing fronts, if necessary.”
Laughinghouse added: “The
goal is to keep them all open
during regular business hours.”
Work will be done from
7 a.m. to dark on Mondays
through Saturdays.
On another matter,
Laughinghouse reported that
the Independence Day celebra
tion, to be held on June 26,
will be held at the Jefferson
Recreation Department instead
of downtown Jefferson. The
move is because of the con
struction that will be going on
downtown during that time.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Monday
night, the council heard from:
•public works director Jeff
Killip reported on road proj
ects, including the following:
Hog Mountain Road where
work is under way; MLK Jr.
Road where the project design
is being done; and John B.
Brooks Road where work is
under way to pave it.
•Killip reported that a speed
limit survey shows that a speed
reduction is needed on Old
Swimming Pool Road and Old
Pendergrass Road. All city
speed limits have already been
recertified for the next three
years. The city plans to submit
the speed limit surveys to the
department of transportation
and ask for speed limits to be
recertified.
•Ward reported that negotia
tions with the county and cities
is continuing on House Bill 489
and the planned SPLOST vote.
•Ward presented a proposed
change to the alcohol ordinance
that would allow caterers to
serve wine, beer and liquor at
events.
Talmo reviews budget
BY KATIE HUSTON
THE TALMO City Council held its first reading for the fis
cal year 2010-2011 proposed budget. In it, the budget expects
$106,730 in expenditures and $147,053 in revenue.
Personnel pay occupies a large chunk on the expenditures
side with just under $52,000. The amount includes the city
clerk's salary, along with the library manager's salary.
The town's utility costs also amount to a significant portion
of the budget. The town pays over $10,000 for utilities at its
city hall and library, which both occupy the same building.
On the revenue side, the town expects to see a substantial
portion coming from Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds.
Talmo is expecting $94,000 in LOST funds.
The town will have the second reading of the proposed bud
get at its June meeting.
County furlough day ahead
THE JACKSON County government offices and courthouse
will be closed on Friday, May 28, due to a furlough day.
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