Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
r ',y
MW.
H Wednesday, October 5, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 137 NO. 17 54 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
•From the Hip: A
magazine for Jackson
County mothers
Op/Ed:
•'Part 3: School inte
gration tangles local
school systems in the
courts'
page 4 A
Sports:
•JCCHS softball team
stays alive in region tour
ney page 1B
Features:
•What 4-H means to
me page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 9-25C
•Church News
page 9B
•Obituaries
page 8B
•School News
pages 11-14 A, 10-11B
o -S
JPD fines triple Jan. through Aug.
SINCE THE FIRST of the year, the
Jefferson Police Department has
increased its number of citations by over
250 percent and the city’s monthly rev
enue from JPD fines has tripled.
But city records also show that there
were an unusually low number of fines
in the first two months of 2011 compared
to previous years.
In January and February, the JPD
issued 175 citations each month. In July
and August, that number had jumped to
443 and 649, respectively.
In January, the city took in $31,866
in fines on 187 cases. February saw
$23,545 in fines from 142 cases.
In July, the city garnered $66,039
from 376 cases. In August, the city got
$90,462 in fine money from 515 court
cases.
The dramatic increase in JPD traffic
citations and fines could indicate that
the department has become much more
aggressive in its traffic enforcement.
Critics of the department allege that the
JPD was instructed by city officials to
increase traffic citations in a bid to raise
revenue for the city. But police chief Joe
Wirthman denies that.
“Nobody in the city has ever asked me
to write more tickets,” he said.
Wirthman said the department was
short three officers at the beginning of the
year, and then those officers were being
trained. He attributes that, as well as one
officer being in training for 12 weeks,
as being reasons tickets given were less
during the first part of the year.
MORE IN THE PAST
The number of citations issued for the
Month
Speedina#
Total#
$Court
#Court
Jan.
125
175
$31,866
187
Feb.
120
175
$23,545
142
Mar.
211
312
$33,071
167
Apr.
209
355
$32,189
199
May
237
415
$54,035
301
Jun.
501
701
$49,009
272
Jly.
287
443
$66,039
376
Aug.
431
649
$90,462
515
first three months of this year were much
lower than in the previous four years. The
number of citations issued in January for
the past four years ranged from a low of
299 to a high of 453 in 2008.
The past high monthly average was
443 citations in 2007 while 2010 had the
lowest recent monthly average at 354 per
month. So far in 2011, the average is 402
citations per month.
In city court fines, the average so far
in 2011 is $47,527 per month, which is
above the monthly average for both 2009
and 2010.
MONUMENT UNVEILED IN JEFFERSON
Dwight Wier checks out the bronze soldier on top of the Civil War monument in
downtown Jefferson Saturday just after it was unveiled by members of the Sons of
Confederate Veterans Camp 94, Jefferson. See additional photos on page 12B.
Photo by Angela Gary
Hundreds attend program
Confederate monument statue
unveiled in Jefferson Saturday
BY ANGELA GARY
HUNDREDS OF people
gathered in downtown Jefferson
Saturday for the unveiling of
the life-sized bronze soldier on
top of the Civil War monument
on the square.
Patriotic music and speeches,
a musket salute and re-enactors
were all part of the program
that was planned by the Sons
of Confederate Veterans Camp
94, Jefferson.
In 1911, the local chapter of
the UDC raised funds to erect
a monument with a marble
soldier on top. In 1940, the
statue was pulled off its base,
broken and replaced with the
Southern Cross. In 2008, SCV
Camp 94 approached the city
of Jefferson and raised funds
to replace the statute.
“It is fitting that this is taking
place on the 150th anniversary
of the beginning of the Civil
War,” said Jefferson Mayor
Jim Joiner, one of the speakers
on the program.
Keynote speaker Christopher
Sullivan, whose ancestor, Alva
Bennett, helped form the
Jackson Farmers regiment dur
ing the Civil War, said the
monument is a tribute to those
soldiers who served.
He said the monument is for
“the men of Jackson County,
who when duty called, who
when their principles and ide
als were questioned, they took
the musket off the mantle....
and went forward to defend
their culture and their fami
lies.”
John Latty, author, SCV
Camp 1404, spoke on Jackson
County regiments.
“If you are a Jackson
Countian... If you are a
Jeffersonian... You should be
very proud today,” he said.
Members of SCV Camp 94
unveiled the monument, which
had a black tarp on it.
Wayne Frazier was the mas
ter of ceremonies. Others on
the program were:
•Capt. Ralph Mills and the
43rd, 18th and 63rd Ga., post
ing of the colors, musket salute
and retirement of colors.
•Gary Cruce, SCV Camp 94
chaplin, invocation.
•Randy Carroll and Currahee
cadets, Camp 935, pledge to
flags.
•Commander Steve
Satterfield, SCV Camp 94,
recognize special guests.
•Clarke Kesler and Friends,
presented music, including
“Legend of the Rebel Solider.”
•Marie Bath, UDC and
Camp 96 honor guard, pre
sented “Spirit of the Widow.”
•Randy Evans, adj. SCV
Camp 94, SCV charge.
•Gilbert Wier and SCV Camp
94, led singing of “Dixie.”
•Mason Evans, ROTC bat
talion commander, “Taps.”
Poe named as
county manager
THE JACKSON County
Board of Commissioners’
search for a new
county manager
ended Friday after
noon.
In a unanimous
vote, the commis
sioners hired Kevin
Poe, who will be 51
in November, to fill
the position. He is
currently the Floyd
County manager, a
position he’s held for 17 years.
Poe will be paid $140,000
and will begin work no later
than Dec. 11.
“My contract calls for a
60-day notice, but I may be
able to shave a week or two off
of that,” Poe said.
A graduate of the University
of Alabama, Poe is married to a
University of Georgia graduate
and all three of their children
graduated from UGA. Two
daughters and a son-in-law live
in Athens — one of the reasons
Poe applied for the Jackson
County position — and a
son is a senior at the
University of Virginia
at Charlottesville earn
ing a law degree.
“I married into a
Georgia family and I
spend a lot of time over
there (in Athens),” he
noted.
Prior to taking the
manager’s job in Floyd
County, Poe was assis
tant city manager in LaGrange
for three years.
“I am leaving Floyd County
on great terms,” Poe said.
Interim county manager
Leonard Myers will continue
to serve until Dec. 11, said
commissioner Chas Hardy.
Myers has served since for
mer county manager Darrell
Hampton resigned in March.
Poe was hired following a
10-minute closed-to-the-public
session at a called meeting of
the board of commissioners.
POE
Jefferson election
Meet the candidates Tues.
THE JEFFERSON Area
Business Association (JABA)
will hold a public forum at 6
p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the
city clubhouse for citizens to
meet Jefferson City Council
and Board of Education can
didates.
Questions for BOE members
will begin at 6 p.m. and city
council around 6:30 p.m.
CITY COUNCIL
For District 1, Steve Kinney
will face Robert Yates and for
District 5, Roy Plott will face
David Parks on the November
ballot.
Steve Quinn qualified unop
posed for District 3.
SCHOOL BOARD
For Jefferson Board of
Education, the members
whose terms are up are Angela
McKinney, Willie L. Hughey
and Guy Dean Benson. All
candidates are invited to par
ticipate regardless of whether or
not they are opposed.
Citizens will be encouraged
to contribute questions for the
candidates via the forum mod
erator. Anyone interested in
learning more about the candi
dates is invited to attend.
For additional information,
contact JABA member Lora
Gary at lora@storiteselfstorage.
com or 706-336-6545.
Jackson County schools
Millage rates unchanged
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
Board of Education will keep its
millage rates the same, despite a
lower tax digest that is reducing
property tax revenue.
The board opted on Thursday
to stick with its maintenance
and operation (M&O) millage
rate at 18.9 mills and its bond
retirement millage rate at 3.1
mills.
Other than two reporters, no
one from the public attended
the 7 a.m. meeting — which
lasted just under one minute.
All five board members were
present, along with superinten
dent Shannon Adams, assis
tant superintendent for human
resources Kathy Elrod and
Jackson County tax commis
sioner Don Elrod (no relation).
The Jackson County Board
of Education approved a tenta
tive 2012 fiscal year budget in
August that calls for revenue to
top $83.6 million and expenses
to reach $86.8 million.
Using a $9.3 million surplus
from the previous fiscal year,
the district anticipates having
an ending fund balance of $6.1
million at the end of the fiscal
year on June 30,2012.
Property tax revenue is a
major part of the school sys
tem’s budget — although it
is expected to drop by $1.4
million in the 2012 fiscal year
because of the reduced county
tax digest.
The school system is expect
ed to receive $29.9 million in
property tax revenue in the
2012 fiscal year — compared
to $31.4 million last fiscal year.
Jackson County is expected
to mail property tax bills by
Oct. 20. The last day to pay
the bills without a penalty is
Dec. 20.
O