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o o 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS The Commerce News JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY County BOC County BOC sets tax rates, budget By Mike Buffington mike@mainstreetnews. com A major expansion of the Jackson County govern ment’s financial footprint is on tap next year following action by the Jackson Coun ty Board of Commissioners. The BOC set its millage rate and 2024 budget on Sept. 18. The budget shows some key growth in reve nues and expenses. The board set a millage rate of 7.748 mills in incor porated areas of the county and 6.171 mills for unin corporated areas. Both rates are lower than last year and are the full “rollback rates” to offset last year’s higher property assessments. The incorporated rate fell by 1.39 mills and un incorporated dropped by 1.629 mills (the difference in incorporated and unin corporated is due to how in surance premium taxes are handled differently in the two areas.) In theory, property own ers should pay about the same county-levied proper ty taxes this year as they did last year if their assessment went up around 25% or less. Property values that went up over 30% will pay more this year since the rollback rate is an average of all property values. INCOME Despite the millage roll backs, the county will see a jump in its overall property tax income for FY2024. The county’s general fund will see a $3.2 million in crease in property tax rev enues over last year, a 9% increase. On the other hand, the county is budgeting a de crease in sales tax revenues next year, a projected drop of $1.5 million from 2023, down 12%. See BOC, page 2A Art in the Park ~ . ' * V , . '±1 i: 1. a r-^W : ■ 3 a •] I* . a ’t t i ItS! m M f'l ' :j[ iLvU* lK| M w Photos by Wesleigh Sagon The Tumbling Waters Society partnered with Jackson County Parks and Recreation to host its 32nd anniversary Art in the Park festival at Hurricane Shoals Park. The festival, which was held Saturday, Sept. 16 - Sunday, Sept. 17, drew in a crowd of over 3,000 visitors over the course of the two-day affair. The festival featured handmade crafts, homemade goodies, food vendors, a 5K Mill Race, duck dash, kids’ zone, miniature golf, Grist Mill, living history demonstrations in the Heritage Village, an area school artwork contest for next year’s festival T-shirt design, Civil War re-enactments and encampment in the Heritage Village, the annual Tony and Ann lanuario Blue Grass Festival and in strument giveaway and more. Here a cannon blasts during the Battle of Kings Tanyard, which was held on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Battle of Narrows took place on Sunday, Sept. 17. Both battles were local and Confederate victories. Jeff Reno, Commerce native and re-enactor, is shown with a bag of corn meal at the annual Art in the Park festival at Hurri cane Shoals. Diane Baird gave demonstrations on making homemade lye soap in the heritage village during the an nual Art in the Park festival. See more on page 12A. MAILING LABEL Commerce Commerce BOE candidate challenge withdrawn, hearing cancelled A candidate challenge was withdrawn Board of Education District 5 seat, last week against Cory Griffith. Griffith Ahearing on the challenge that had been was the lone qualifier for the Commerce set for Thursday, Sept. 14, was cancelled. County BOE County BOE sets millage rate, budget The Jackson County Board of Education formal ly approved its tax rate and FY2024 budget in a called meeting last Friday. The board set a millage rate of 15.495 mills, down from 16.576 mills last year. The millage rate doesn’t af fect those living inside the city limits of Jefferson or Commerce which have their own independent school systems which set their own tax rates. The Jackson County sys tem expects to net a total of $60.5 million in revenues from property taxes, which is about 44% of its total budget. The system’s general fund budget for FY2024 is set at $136 million. In addi tion to the local tax funds, school systems also receive state funding and a smaller amount of federal funds. Some of the FY2024 bud get are funds for the acquisi tion of land for new school facilities. Commerce council Commerce awarded $33 million grant for new wastewater facility By Alex Buffington alex@mainstreetnews. com Commerce plans to fast- track the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility. Mayor Clark Hill announced this week that the city has been awarded a $33 million state grant for the new plant, which is esti mated to total $40 million. “We may have some addi tional funding opportunities as well,” Hill said dining the Commerce City Council meeting on Monday. Hill noted the city has to spend the $33 million grant in 3 years and that the city hopes to have the second wastewater treatment facil ity open at that time. “We’ve got a lot of heavy hitting to do the next couple See Commerce, page 2A Large Hoschton development on Hwy. 53 approved unanimously By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews. com A 1,000-plus home de velopment that was large ly opposed by residents at public hearings and prompt ed an arbitration hearing with Jackson County re ceived the green light from Hoschton leaders. The Hoschton City Coun cil voted 4-0 Monday (Sept. 18) to approve an annex ation and planned unit de velopment rezoning for Rocklyn Homes for 287 acres zoned agricultural on Hwy. 53 on the south side of town near the large Twin Lakes subdivision. The project will include 651 single-family homes, 404 townhomes and 24 acres of civic space. Groans were heard from those attending Monday’s meeting after the council See Hoschton, page 2A piggly wiggly HOME OF THE SLUSHEES n M \