Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Why are we here?
Braselton budget to increase next fiscal year
POLITICS, econom
ics, religion, health
care, world affairs, the
oil spill in the Gulf, et
cetera are of no concern
to me this morning. I
am engaged in useless
research that, so far, has
resulted in useless infor
mation. Just stuff.
What I am trying to
do is determine who
is high tech savvy and
who isn’t.
(But you know what: This may
not be as useless as I thought.
Some marketing gum may take
my results, identify a target audi
ence, hire me as his PR rep, and
get rich selling high tech stuff to a
savvy high tech clientele.)
By high tech savvy I mean
knowledgeable in computers and
all those gadgets that were invent
ed after manual typewriters and
dial telephones. Things like the
Internet, e-mail, voicemail, cell
phones, iPhones, iPods, iPads,
cable, wireless, Blackberries,
YouTube, Facebook, Play
Station, Google, text, Twitter,
tweeter ad infinitum. When - if
ever - will the deluge stop? If we
keep inventing time-saving, labor-
saving devices, we are going to
work ourselves to death.
Anyway I think I am onto
something. There are three gen
erations of high tech sawiness.
(Savviness was not a word; it is
now).
First, there are the younguns,
those teens and pre-teens who,
you know, are with it, cool, and,
you know, hip. They are high tech
personified. They are the ones
you call when your computer
crashes, or your TV won't come
on after a storm, or if you are old
like me and need to change a
light bulb. They know everything
- or think they do - and they flat
out can make things work. If you
have access to one of them, you
are duly blessed.
And then there are the baby
boomers, parents of the younger
generation. They are a crazy,
mixed up crowd. Not crazy
and mixed up in the
head. I mean crazy
and mixed up when
it comes to high tech
savviness.
The baby boom
ers are half and half.
Half of them, by vir
tue of their education
and careers, are up on
things high tech. The
other half, by virtue
of their lack of educa
tion and day jobs, couldn't care
less about high tech stuff. They
are the Bubbas of the world.
They like to drink beer, coon
hunt, and fight our wars: past,
present and future. God bless
‘em. America could not get along
without them.
And third, there is my gen
eration: old codgers who have
been there and done that (we had
enough trouble with electric type
writers and push button phones),
and aren't the least bit interested
in going back and doing it again.
Now we are too busy trying to
get the pill bottle open, looking
for our glasses, and wondering if
we took our Metamucil today.
Now you know: the three stag
es of high tech savviness. I told
you it was useless. I don’t know
why I write this stuff. Or why
you are reading it. You are read
ing it, aren’t you? Thanks.
What th' heck, it keeps us
busy. Gives us something to do.
That beats doing nothing. Doing
nothing is the hardest job in the
world. My heart goes out to those
who, for one reason or another,
hold that one down.
❖❖❖
Just because I’m doing useless
research doesn’t mean I am use
less. Neither is the person useless
whose job is doing nothing. And
you aren’t useless, either.
I believe all of us are here for a
purpose. Otherwise, we wouldn’t
be here.
The problem is, we don’t
know what our purpose is. We
don’t know what our purpose is
because we don’t take the time
to think about it. We need to get
in the closet or go down in the
woods and meditate.
Of course, there are some
people who go about achieving
their purpose without ever know
ing they are achieving it. They
just go merrily along doing their
thing, making a difference in the
world, and not worrying about
any credit or recognition. They
are a happy bunch.
One thing they don’t do is
get caught up in the two useless
emotions: worry and guilt.
The rest of us worry, but what
we worry about hasn’t happened
yet. But it is going to. So we
worry about it. I have worried
about a zillion things, most of
which never happened.
Guilt happened yesterday, last
week or last year. It is in the past.
Much as we’d like to, we can’t
go back and undo what caused
the guilt. Some folks say they’ve
been forgiven, but they can’t let it
go. Apparently, they don’t know
it’s been removed as far as the
east is from the west. What a
shame.
I envy the person who says he
knows - absolutely - what his
calling, or purpose, is in life. I
also wonder about him. There is
no doubt in his mind that he is
doing exactly what he was put
here to do.
My calling is moment by
moment. I have no idea what
I’ll be doing this time tomorrow.
This morning, I’m led to think
about what I’ve been thinking
about, and then put it down on
paper. Useless stuff? Perhaps.
But it has kept me out of trouble
for a little while.
Maybe you’re reading it and
giving some thought to what you
will do tomorrow. If that is hue,
I guess that’s why we are both
here.
❖❖❖
P.S. If you wish to read more
on this subject, I recommend
Rick Warren’s bestseller, “The
Purpose-Driven Life.” He makes
a lot more sense than I do.
Virgil Adams is a former owner/
editor of Tire Jackson Herald.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE BRASELTON Town
Council is proposing a slight
increase for its annual budget —
while many other governments
are trimming their financial bot
tom lines.
The town is proposing a FYE
2011 budget — which starts on
July 1 — of $2.7 million, a three
percent increase from the cur
rent FYE 2010 budget of $2.6
million.
A public hearing on the pro
posed general fund budget will
be held on Monday, June 7, at 3
p.m., at the Braselton Police and
Municipal Court Building.
Braselton doesn’t have a prop
erty tax and there are no plans to
include one in the next fiscal year
budget.
For the most part, the town isn’t
anticipating any major changes in
revenue for the FYE 2011 bud
get.
But, the budget includes
$110,000 in downtown rental
property income that it didn’t
have for the FYE 2010 budget.
In December, developer
Wayne Mason — through one
of his development companies
— donated seven properties to
the town, including the Braselton
Brothers Store in downtown.
All of those properties are cur
rently leased and Braselton plans
to increase the work allocation for
a building and grounds employee
to maintain the properties, accord
ing to town manager Jennifer
Dees.
As for other town employees,
Braselton is planning to furlough
them four hours during each
80-hour (two-week) pay period,
she added. The furloughs won’t
affect the police department.
Braselton has already been fur
loughing employees for about a
year and a half — based on how
well the town’s finances are han
dling the economic downturn. No
town offices will be closed during
the furloughs.
“We’re a little bit differ
ent in that our (furloughs) are
not as structured as the county.
Commerce and things like that,”
Dees said. “Our furloughs are
based more on where we are
on budget year-to-date (and) how
we’re doing in revenues.”
During those half-day fur
loughs, Braselton is shifting
employees to cover those posi
tions and to keep town offices
open to the public, Dees said.
Town employees are also
not getting a cost-of-living pay
increase — as Braselton has done
for at least the past two years, she
added. But those employees who
are slated to get a 1.5 percent pay
increase based on the town’s wage
and salary scale will get one.
In the police department, the
town plans to hire an officer for a
position that has been vacant for
about a year. Dees said. Braselton
currently has 12 officers.
In the planning and develop
ment department, the town bud
geted no money for consultants
— after spending $50,000 in FYE
2010 on the expense.
That’s because Braselton has
completed work on its compre
hensive plan and it’ll no longer
use as-needed contractors to con
duct building inspections.
Fee for specialty license plates to increase
TAX COMMISSIONER Don Elrod would like
to inform all Jackson County drivers that vehicle
owners with any specialty license plates will see an
increase in their annual vehicle registration fee.
Legislation passed this year (House Bill 1055),
better known as the fee bill, raises the additional
renewal fee for most specialty plates including
personalized prestige and college commemorative
tags from $25 to $35.
The $35 fee will also apply to the “Support
Wildlife” tags bearing the American Eagle and
Bobwhite Quail. Virtually any tag that represents a
particular cause, school, or group is increasing.
The $35 specialty tag fee is in addition to the
annual $20 tag renewal fee and ad valorem taxes.
Persons ordering special tags for the first time
must also pay a $35 one-time manufacturing, an
increase of $10.
House Bill 1055, signed by the governor earlier
this month, updated a broad range of state and
local fees that had not been reviewed or increased
in many years. All of the increased fees are paid
over to the State of Georgia. Elrod states that none
of the additional revenue will stay in Jackson
County.
“This simply makes having any type of special
ty tag more expensive,” he said. “Unfortunately,
the State Department of Revenue is also unable to
keep a supply of specialty tags in our local office
due to state budgetary problems. I am very con
cerned about the effect this will have on the orga
nizations that depend on these license plates for
revenue. There are many great organizations that
rely on tag fees for their revenue. This increase,
coupled with the state’s inability to supply our
inventory needs, could lead to a large reduction
in the sale of specialty tags. I’m afraid that what
seemed like a good idea on paper for the state to
collect extra revenue, could actually do more harm
than good.”
Call the tag office at 706-367-6320 with any
questions regarding these new fee changes. Anyone
who has already been mailed a renewal notice for
May or June will have their current fee honored as
printed on the renewal notice. The renewal notices
for July forward will reflect the new tag fees.
virgil
adams
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PUBLIC NOTICE
As required by Georgia DRE Rule 183-1-12-
02, a PUBLIC LOGIC AND ACCURACY TEST
of the Accuvote TS Units, Accouvote OS Units,
and Express Poll Locators will begin on June 3,
2010, at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 5:00 p.m.
daily until completion in the Probate Court of
Jackson County, Jackson County Courthouse,
5000 Jackson Parkway, Suite 140, Jefferson.
This test is open to the public.
By: Margaret Deadwyler
Probate Judge/Election Superintendent
437 Lee Street
Jefferson, GA 30549
FIREWOOD
CHICKEN LITTER FERTILIZER
Other Mulches and Gravel
Available Upon Request
PBOPMCTS
Pine Straw, Wheat Straw,
Mulch Hay and Feed Hay
(Square & round bales available)
MULCHES
Red & Brown Colored Mulch
Single & Double Ground Hardwood
Mini Nuggets • Cypress
GRAVEL
Crusher Run • 57’s
Bob Cat and Semi & Dump Truck Service Available.
(706) 367-3862
Delivery & Installation Available With All Products.
Discounts Available • Call for details.
www.thestrawlotga.com • www.pinestrawandmulchstrawlotga.com
TRI-COUNTY
WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE
A 12-week program with personalized one-on-one coaching
$ 39 for 12 weeks
($10 donated to Children’s Charity)
All money paid out in cash prizes to winners.
NEW CHALLENGES START
THE WEEK OF JUNE 7 IN JEFFERSON.
Last challenge winning weight loss -
28 lbs. and 23 inches. Payouts were $625!
To register call Chef Mark or Vicki at 706-693-0031
L
J
Braselton Budget Hearings
•The Braselton Town Council will hold a public hearing on Monday,
June 7, at 3 p.m., on the proposed FYE 2011 town budget.
•The Braselton Downtown Development Authority will hold a public
hearing on its proposed budget on Thursday, June 3, at 1 p.m.
•The Braselton Visitors Bureau will hold a public hearing on its
proposed budget on Thursday, June 3, at 2:30 p.m.
All of the public hearings will be held in the courtroom of the
Braselton Police and Municipal Court Building, located at 5040 Ga.
Hwy. 53.
Copies of the proposed budgets are available at the Braselton
Town Hall during normal business hours or available by email request
atjdees@braselton.net.
During budget cuts last year,
the town eliminated three full
time positions from the planning
and development department,
including building inspectors.
This year, the town plans to
employ a part-time building
inspector for 16 hours a week.
Despite the continued econom
ic slump, Braselton is still predict
ing it’ll receive $250,000 in build
ing permit fees in FYE 2011, just
like the current budget. During
the economic boom, Braselton
budgeted $675,000 in building
permit fees in FYE 2007.
‘This year has been significant
ly better than last year for building
permits,” Dees said.
While building permits for new
houses remains relatively low
— Braselton has seen an uptick
in major commercial building
projects, such as a new Publix on
Spout Springs Road, an assisted
living facility on Thompson Mill
Road and a medical office build
ing on Ga. Hwy. 211.
“We’ve actually seen a lot of
building activity pick up,” she
added.
The town is also budgeting the
same amount of sales tax revenue
for FYE 2011, as it planned for
FYE 2010 — a total of $178,000
from Jackson, Barrow and Hall
counties.
But, Braselton will use
$500,000 in reserve funds to pay
for bonds for several projects.
The town has a Tax Anticipation
District (TAD), which voters
approved in 2007 to help finance
redevelopment projects in down
town Braselton. The Jackson
County Board of Commissioners
also approved the TAD in 2008.
TADs provide a mechanism to
freeze tax revenue in a blighted
or economically under-utilitized
area, where incentives are needed
to attract or enhance private invest
ments, according to the Georgia
Municipal Association.
Dees said town officials knew
that Braselton may have to use
reserve funds to pay for bonds
that were earmarked to be paid
for by the TAD.
And since the state has frozen
property tax assessments, that’s
not helping to fund Braselton’s
TAD, she said. New development
— which would help fund the
TAD through higher assessed
profterty values — also won’t
start until the realignment of Ga.
Hwy. 124 at Ga. Hwy. 53 is com
plete.
For the FYE 2011 budget,
Braselton will pay $490,000 in
Urban Redevelopment Agency
(URA) bonds to fund the police
department and municipal court
building, and the library, which
both opened several years ago.
An additional $550,000 in
URA bonds will fund downtown
projects, such as a streetscape,
town green, Ga. Hwy. 124
realignment and potential amphi
theater. Braselton is also receiving
several state grants to fund those
projects.
WATER AND SEWER
BUDGET
As for the town’s water and
sewer budget, Braselton is pro
jecting revenue to jump 18.8 per
cent from $4.8 million to $5.7
million in FYE 2011.
Debt payments will increase
from $3.8 million to $3.9 million
next fiscal year.
The dramatic jump in revenue
includes a 36 percent hike in late
fees, 33 percent increase in tap
fees, 18 percent climb in sewer
charges and a nine percent rise in
water charges.
Those increases aren’t from
new water and sewer rate increas
es for customers. Dees said.
Instead, the increases stem
from the end of outdoor watering
restrictions during the drought,
she said. Braselton has already
received more water and sewer
revenue than it anticipated
for FYE 2011 because of the
increased customer usage. The
City of Oakwood is also expected
to tap into the town’s sewerage
system as part of a 2006 agree
ment.
Expenses for the town’s water
and sewerage budget are expected
to top $4.8 million in FYE 2011,
compared to $4.1 million in FYE
2010. The town is budgeting
almost $900,000 in reserves for
its water and sewer budget.
l\
OSHER LIFELONG
LEARNING INSTITUTE
ATUGA
Last summer the Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute at UGA, formerly
Learn in Retirement, offered only 5
classes during the summer.
This year the volunteer-run
organization has increased that
number to 25. All of the classes , one-
to-five-days, are in July and no final
exams.
Registration can be by mail with
forms available on the OLLI website
or from the organization’s newsletter.
Mail registration deadline is June 15.
On-site registration is available for
a couple of hours starting at 3:00 p.m.
July 1st at the Athens-Clarke County
Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens.
For more information, phone 706-
549-7350 or contact www.olli.uga.edu.