Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
Jackson BOE
County school board sets millage rate
The Jackson County
Board of Education offi
cially set its millage rate at
16.576 mills during its Sept.
13 meeting. The board also
set the system’s bond mill-
age rate at 2.7 mills.
The rate is a rollback
from 18.39 mills, a 6.4% de
crease. The decrease comes
amid a growing tax digest
for the system from new de
velopment and higher prop
erty assessments this year.
The millage rate will help
fund the system’s general
fund budget, which is set
at $99 million for FY22.
Around 42% of that will be
paid by property taxes with
the rest coming from sales
taxes, state funding and fed
eral funding.
NEW LEADERS
The BOE also approved
a number of personnel ac
tions at its Sept. 13 meeting,
including hiring Fran Dun-
dore as assistant superinten
dent of teaching and learn
ing. Dundore replaces Todd
Nicholson, who moved to
assistant superintendent for
human resources and stu
dent support services to re
place Selena Blankenship,
who retired at the end of the
last school year.
Also approved was hir
ing James R. Thomason as
director of technology for
the system and transferring
Rebecca Thorpe to interim
director of school nutrition
to replace Debra Morris,
who recently retired from
the system.
Non-profit
Development
Local group part of
pilot program that
launched to track
sexual assault kits
SANE, Inc., a local non-profit organization that pro
vides victim forensic medical examinations to sexual
assault survivors in North Georgia, is part of a pilot pro
gram that will begin tracking sexual assault kits.
Jackson County and surrounding counties are part of
the nonprofit group’s service area.
SANE, Inc. is serving as the collection site in the pilot
program in partnership with the Athens-Clarke Coun
ty Police Department, the University of Georgia Police
Department, Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and The
Cottage.
The pilot program, which launched Sept. 14, is part
of HB 255 (the Sexual Assault Reform Act of 2021),
a bill that builds on previous legislation requiring law
enforcement to pick up evidence and submit it for test
ing in a timely fashion. House Bill 255 helps to track
the kits.
Following a forensic examination, evidence is kept in
a sexual assault kit. In the pilot program, each kit will
have a barcode attached to the outside of it. The barcode
will be scanned each time there is an update on the kit.
(For example, the kit will be scanned if it is sent to a lab
to be tested, if it moves hands to another law enforce
ment agency or lab, or if a kit is retained at a collection
site or participating agency.)
Kit tracking will help to ensure that sexual assault
survivors are kept informed of the status of their sex
ual assault kit, according to a news release about the
program. It will also help law enforcement agencies to
get accurate and timely information about the status of
a kit.
The Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Tracking Website
will allow survivors and certain professionals such as
legal teams, labs and hospital personnel assigned to a
case, to enter the serial number of a specific sexual as
sault kit and see the status and location of that kit. These
measures will ensure that all investigative kits are tested
and help prevent future backlog of untested evidence.
“We are very excited that SANE was chosen to partic
ipate in this pilot program,” said SANE, Inc. Executive
Director Michelle Dickens. “Tracking sexual assault
kits will give survivors more information and informa
tion is power.”
Arcade
Arcade police cancels
Bicycle Rodeo, plans
mobile vaccine event
By Morgan Ervin
The Arcade Police Department has cancelled Octo
ber’s Bicycle Rodeo due to concerns over recent spikes
in Covid cases across Jackson County.
As an alternative way to celebrate National Faith and
Blue weekend, APD police chief Randy Williams is
planning a mobile vaccine event Oct. 9 at Arcade City
Park.
“We are encountering a lot of people with COVID out
here in the public,” said Williams during Arcade City
Council’s meeting Sept. 14. “I personally know five
people that have it and three of them are in the hospital
fighting.”
Williams has responded to the unexpected change of
plans by coordinating with the Northeast Georgia De-
parment of Health and other public safety departments
within the city to help host a mobile vaccination event
sponsored by the Northeast Georgia Department of
Health.
The APD will be passing out coloring books, stick-on
police badges and other games and activities for kids.
Due to the unknown impact Covid may have on the
community by Oct. 9, however, final decisions remain
pending.
“I’m still waiting to see how many people can help be
cause there’s a lot of people that are sick,” said Williams.
Despite Covid concerns, Williams and the APD are
working to secure as many fire trucks, ambulances and
police cruisers as possible to create a celebratory scene
of community spirit by connecting law enforcement and
first responders with the residents they serve.
“They can come and see it and then get a shot if they
want a shot.” said Williams.
OTHER BUSINESS:
In other business, during its meeting Sept. 14 the
council:
• approved resolution to open a new bank account
with Northeast Georgia Bank for funds received under
the Federal American Rescue Plan Act.
• approved a business license for Isabella De La Fon
taine to operate La Bella Rose Kennels at her residential
address at 394 Double Bridges Road in Jefferson, where
she breeds, adopts and cares for Cavalier King Charles
Spaniels showdogs.
Walton closes phase one at Liberty Park
Walton has sold the first phase of land within a 70-acre parcel to Fischer
Homes who plans to build 139 single-family homes in Braselton over the next
three years.
Walton has sold the first
phase of land within a
70-acre parcel to Fischer
Homes who plans to build
139 single-family homes
in Braselton over the next
three years.
Walton announced the
closing sale of the first phase
of land which consists of 11
acres within a three-phase
takedown based on Fischer
Homes’ exit-focused agree
ment with Walton. Fischer
Homes plans to build a total
of 49 single-family homes
in this first phase that will
be available to the market in
the second quarter of 2022,
and a total of 139 homes in
the coming years.
The property is within a
master-planned community
named The Reserve at Lib
erty Park located at 1010
Liberty Park Drive. In ad
dition to the homesites. a
portion of the 70 acres of
land will be preserved as
Jackson County conserva
tion land and will not be
developed.
“The Reserve at Liberty
Park is an outstanding gated
community nestled in Jack-
son County on the edge of
metropolitan Atlanta,” Wal
ton’s Senior Vice President
for Georgia, Tennessee and
Alabama, Anthony Spar
row, said. “This is a quaint
area that is highly desirable
for many. It is a pleasure
to be working with Fischer
Homes on this project and
we look forward to contin
ue to support them as they
move forward with home
development.”
The new homes at the Re
serve at Liberty Park will
feature Fischer Homes’ De
signer Collection which in
cludes a two-story, five-lev-
el and first-floor owner’s
retreat. A variety of exteri
or styles will be available
including the new Modern
Farmhouse design, as well
as Coastal and Western
Craftsman. Home buy
ers may also choose from
hundreds of personaliza
tion options at the builder’s
Lifestyle Design Center.
The anticipated 139 homes
with this new development
will add to the 65 homes
Fischer Homes has sold
since the opening of the
Reserve at Liberty Park in
the spring of 2016.
“Finishing the Reserve
at Liberty Park community
is an extension of Fischer
Homes and Walton’s rela
tionship both in this com
munity as well as working
together on additional fu
ture communities,” Fischer
Homes Market President,
Doug Cohen, said. “We
have enjoyed working with
Walton who does an excel
lent job finding desirable
locations for residential
development, then work
ing with the builder com
munity in a manner that
is advantageous for both
companies.”
Jefferson council
Jefferson holds budget hearing
By Kyle Funderburk
kyle@mainstreetnews. com
The Jefferson City Coun
cil held its first public hear
ing Sept. 13 on its proposed
FY22 budget. City manager
Priscilla Murphy present
ed an amendment to the
proposed budget which in
cludes a raise for all police
officers, as well as an in
crease in pay grade for new
officers.
Police Chief Joe Wirth-
man had requested a raise at
the council’s Aug. 23 meet
ing, saying Jefferson wasn’t
paying its officers a compet
itive wage.
The proposed raise and
new pay grade won’t put
Jefferson on par with oth
er nearby departments, but
Howell alluded to possibly
more raises in future bud
gets.
Josh Barrett spoke in fa
vor of giving officers a raise
regardless of what it takes.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the
council:
•approved presenting a
planned 1-85 exit beautifi
cation project to Georgia
Department of Transporta
tion. The project includes
lawn maintenance and the
installation of various plants
along the four exit ramps
at Exit 137. The project is
being funded by the city’s
hotel/motel tax which has
raised money that has gone
untouched for several years.
•held a public hearing on
the conditional use applica
tion for Elite Blasting. The
company is moving its exist
ing explosive storage facili
ty to another area on the Jef
ferson quarry. The council
approved Elite Blasting’s
rezoning request in August.
The area Elite Blasting is
moving to is heavily wood
ed so trees would need to
be cleared to prevent a pos
sible forest fire should an
explosion happen.
•held a public hearing on
a variance to the sign or
dinance requested by Tull
Signs. LLC. The company
is requesting a 10x20 sign
in front of the Amazon Dis
tribution Center at 235 Hog
Mountain Rd.
•held a public hearing on
a backyard chicken ordi
nance which would allow
the raising of chickens in
certain residential areas
in Jefferson. Roosters are
excluded from the ordi
nance and a conditional
use request is needed for
residents of areas zoned R1
and R2.
Public Notice
Jackson County Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Adoption
Please take notice that the Jackson County Board of Commissioners is
scheduled to adopt the proposed FY2022 Budget. The date is set for:
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
The meeting will be held at the Jackson County Administration Building
in the Auditorium, located on the main floor at:
67 Athens Street
Jefferson, Georgia 30549
Copies of the proposed Budget are available at the Commission office,
located on the upper floor of the Administrative Building at:
67 Athens Street
Jefferson, GA 30549
A budget summary will be available on the Jackson County website:
www.j acksoncounty gov. com