Newspaper Page Text
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ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 136 NO. 18 52 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside
Area news:
State Court judge Jerry Gray dies
•County's new trans
fer station opens
page 2A
•Education SPLOST
may be ahead in 2011
page 2A
•Sample ballot
page 12A
Op/Ed:
•'Flawed SPLOST
plan should be nixed;
bring back a better
plan next year'
page 4 A
Sports:
•JHS headed to the
Granite Bowl Friday
page 1B
Features:
•Country churches
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 7-28C
•Church News
page 10B
•Obituaries
page 11B
•School News
pages 9-11A
O -S
VISITING JUDGES will
handle State Court duties in
Jackson County following the
death of Judge Jerry Gray on
Friday. A decision has not
been made on whether the
State Court judgeship will
be fdled by an appointment
by the governor or through a
called election.
Judge Gray, 58, died Friday
after a brief illness. He was hop
ing to leave Athens Regional
Medical Center Friday after
being there several days under
going tests for stomach pains.
Gray had served as State Court
judge for many years and had a
private practice before that. Survivors
include his wife and three children.
Superior court judge Joe Booth and
retired judge Penn McWorther han
dled State Court proceedings in early
October when Judge Gray first became
ill.
Last month, Gray and state solicitor
Don Moore asked the Jackson County
Board of Commissioners to move its
state court from a part-time to a full
time court. At the time. Gray said
that due to the number of cases, he
had been serving as a full-time judge,
although the court was only structured
to be part-time. The BOC later opted
to keep the state court as a part-time
operation.
GRAY
A Taste of Jackson County
FOOD OFFERED
Local food vendors offered samples to those attending the annual Jackson County
Area Chamber of Commerce Taste of Jackson County event on Thursday night at
the Commerce Civic Center. See more photos on page 3A. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Commissioners approve budget
Proposal to lower tax rate defeated in 3-2 vote
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
Board of Commissioners
approved its 2011 budget on
Friday — but not before two
members wanted to lower the
property tax millage rate.
Commissioners Tom Crow
and Dwain Smith said they
wanted to reduce the millage
rate by a quarter mill for unin
corporated and incorporated
areas of Jackson County as part
of the proposed $35.7 million
general fund budget.
Their proposal, however,
was defeated in a 3-2 vote
with commissioners Bruce
Yates. Chas Hardy and chair
man Hunter Bicknell voting in
opposition.
As approved, the 2011 bud
get increased the incorporated
rate by .05 mills to 9.55 mills
and left the unincorporated
millage rate unchanged at 8.61
mills.
Crow explained that like its
residents, the county should
tighten its financial belt and
possibly use more of its
reserves to balance the budget.
“A lot of the taxpayers in
the county have talked about
this to me over the last several
months.” Crow said. ‘‘They
have had to dip into their sav
ings accounts (and) retirement
funds. They’ve lost jobs.”
He also said the county
should have lowered more
property values, but the tax
assessors office was under-
Commissioners Tom Crow
(L) and Dwain Smith pro
posed a reduction in the
property tax millage rate.
The other commissioners
voted against the proposal,
voicing concern that such
action would lead to a
future tax increase, reduc
tion in staff and furloughs.
staffed and couldn't get it
done.
‘‘I'd like to make it more,
but I think we could live with a
quarter mill (reduction),” Crow
said.
Chairman Hunter Bicknell
said the county is still facing an
uncertain economic climate.
“If we were to lower our
millage rate at this point, I’m
afraid that may force us into
levying a higher millage rate
than we currently have at some
point in the future,” he said.
Commissioner Chas Hardy
said he thought reducing the
millage rate would lead to
more employee furloughs and
layoffs.
The 2011 budget, which
starts in January, already
includes 12 employee furlough
days for an estimated savings
of $641,800. Most of the fur
lough days are centered near
other holidays.
It also eliminates 41.5 posi
tions in the county government
— 17.5 positions through a
“reduction in force.” 21 posi
tions by instituting a hiring
freeze for existing vacancies
and reducing three full-time
positions to part-time jobs.
Those changes total an esti
mated savings of $854,900.
With revenue from the tax
digest dropping by more than
five percent, the county is using
$1.7 million in reserves to keep
the 2011 budget afloat.
Besides the general fund, the
county also maintains a num
ber of other, smaller accounts
— such as debt service funds,
capital projects funds, Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) and special
revenue funds that include the
senior center, fire districts and
jail funds.
Overall, the county's total
budget with all of its funds
will decrease by 6.2 percent in
2011 to $62.1 million.
The 2011 budget was
approved by the commissioners
in a 3-2 vote with Yates, Hardy
and Bicknell voting in favor
of the staff’s recommendation,
and commissioners Crow and
Smith voting in opposition.
The BOC had given tenta
tive approval of the budget
and millage rates on Sept. 20,
although Smith voted against
the proposals.
Governor to be at Systemax grand opening
BY ANGELA GARY
GOV. SONNY PERDUE
will be in Jefferson Monday
for the grand opening of
Systemax. an electronics dis
tribution center that brought
400 jobs to the area.
The grand opening cer
emony will be held at 3:30
p.m. Monday at the new Systemax location
off of Hwy. 129 and Hog Mountain Road
in Jefferson.
Systemax Inc. officials plan to eventually
hire as many as 700 people at the distribu
tion center at 235 Hog Mountain Road.
In addition to the distribution center,
there is a 40,000 square foot retail center
on the site. The company projects an esti
mated $20 million annually in sales.
Systemax Inc. is the parent company for
TigerDirect.com, Comp USA and Circuit
City, and is a retailer of personal com
puters. notebook computers, consumer
electronics, computer-related accessories,
technology supplies and industrial prod
ucts.
PERDUE
No new JCCHS
gym (for now)
BOE to revisit proposal when
sales tax money is available
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THEY’LL KEEP a promise
to build a new gym at Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School — just not until the
money is in the bank.
The Jackson County Board
of Education favored postpon
ing a $10.6 million project on
Thursday to bring a second gym,
and a new chorus/drama build
ing at JCCHS until it collects
all of the required sales tax rev
enue.
“I know we promised those
folks that we were going to do
this at the high school — I’m
all in favor of doing it — but I
don’t think the time is good right
now.” said board member Tim
Brooks
The board discussed a propos
al in February 2009 that would
bring a new gymnasium, and
a combined drama and chorus
building to JCCHS — after par
ents asked for a new gym for
the school following the opening
of East Jackson Comprehensive
High School in 2007.
Last month, the board heard
from its architect, who said
moving forward with the proj
ect would net lower construction
costs because contractors are
eager to work during the slump
ing economy.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams had asked the board in
September to approve a notice to
proceed with the project, but the
board opted to wait on giving a
final word.
On Thursday, board mem
bers said they’ve heard no posi
tive comments about moving
forward with the construction
project since last month. Board
chairperson Kathy Wilbanks
wasn’t present.
The proposal also comes after
the Jackson County School
System pulled itself out of a
deficit at the end of the 2010
fiscal year in June, after cutting
44 teaching and non-teaching
positions in April.
“The time is not right,” said
continued on page 8A
School system looks
at change in sex ed.
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
FOR ONE TEEN, the lessons
in school about sex was too little
— and ultimately — too late.
Ashley Daniel was a student
at East Jackson Comprehensive
High School when she got preg
nant with her daughter, who is
now five months old. Daniel, 18,
later earned her diploma through
the now-closed Regional
Evening School.
Along with two health provi
ders. Daniel asked the Jackson
County Board of Education on
Thursday to adopt a more com
prehensive sex education pro
gram in schools.
“I think comprehensive sex
education in school would be
good for teens, because they
would not only hear about STDs
(sexually-transmitted diseases),
abstinence and condoms, but
also about different birth control
methods.” Daniel said. “They
need to hear it from somewhere.
We may act like we’re not liste
ning, but we really are and com
prehensive sex education could
Jackson County’s aver
age teen birth rate is
higher than the state’s
and nation’s. In 2008,
81 babies were born to
white teen mothers, while
eight were born to black
teenagers.
be the difference in a 15-year-old
saying, ‘I’m pregnant’ or ‘I’m
having sex, but I’m on birth
control.”’
And Jackson County already
has its share of pregnant teens,
according to data presented by
Dr. Lou Kudon, deputy director
of the Northeast Georgia Health
District.
The latest data available in
2008 shows that 81 babies were
bom to white teen moms, while
eight were bom to black teena
gers, according to Kudon.
That figure places Jackson
County with an average teen
birth rate higher than the state
and the nation.
“Teen births in Jackson
continued on page 8A
Elrod withdraws from election
IN A LETTER dated Sept. 20 sent to the City of Pendergrass,
Harris Denver Elrod, withdrew his name from the city council
election set for Nov. 2.
Elrod did not state a reason for the withdrawal.
Pendergrass PD reduces force
TWO OFFICERS with the Pendergrass Police Department
have been laid off which brings the force down to two people—
police chief Robert LaRocque and former chief Rob Russell.