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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