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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2023)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023 THE JACKSON HERALD PAGE 9A State news Robin Rhodes retiring from Georgia Press Association leadership post By Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service Thirty years ago, the newspaper industry was just beginning to feel the first ripples of what would become a massive wave of change brought on by the internet. That same year - 1993 - Robin Rhodes was stepping up from a staff position at the Georgia Press Associa tion (GPA) to take the orga nization’s helm as executive director. Thanks to her lead ership, newspaper execu tives across the state made the transition to the digital world smoothly instead of fighting it. “The internet has made a huge difference in the way newspapers are produced,” said Rhodes, who will re tire as the GPA’s full-time leader this fall. “We’ve had to move the legal [notices] online. That was a huge ac complishment. “The members realized that had to be done or they would lose that business. We were probably one of the first states to have 100% participation.” Rhodes was a natural fit for the GPA when she joined the association in 1986. She had been working for a company that hosted trade shows, including the Atlan ta Home Show, where she sold booths to real-estate vendors. Rhodes got a phone call from then-GPA Executive Director Kathy Berry ask ing if she’d be interested in handling arrangements for the association’s annual convention. “Going to the GPA in volved pretty much the same thing,” Rhodes said. When Berry left the asso ciation in 1993, Rhodes ap plied for and landed the job as her successor. Along with adapting to the internet era, Rhodes said a major challenge of her ten ure in office has been cop ing with large corporations buying up local newspapers. “They’re from out of state. They don’t care about the community,” she said. “It’s not the same presence as local ownership.” One of the executive di rector’s key roles is repre senting the newspaper in dustry’s interests with state government leaders. That involves wearing out a lot of shoe leather in the hallways of the Gold Dome dining annual General Assembly sessions. “Robin Rhodes has more connections than Georgia has pine trees,” said Alan NeSmith, regional publisher of The Northeast Georgian in Cornelia and past pres ident of the GPA. “Her re lationships with influential leaders and hardworking newspaper people across the state has been the bed rock of our beloved associ ation.” Rhodes said Atlan ta-based Troutman Peppers Strategies and its principal, Ragen Marsh, have been highly effective represent ing the GPA at the state Cap itol. She also gave a shout out to the various executives at member newspapers. “Their relationships with local legislators has been tremendous,” she said. GPA’s strong working relationship with Georgia decision makers paid off this year when the General Assembly passed and Gov. Brian Kemp signed legis lation allowing newspapers to raise their rates for le gal notices. House Bill 254 cleared the legislature with just one “no” vote. “[Newspapers] hadn’t had an increase in 27 years,” Rhodes said. “It was time.” Kemp had parting words of praise for Rhodes in con gratulating her on her retire ment. “For decades, her lead ership has helped bring awareness of important developments to commu nities all across our state,” the governor said. “She has played an essential role in informing Georgians of what’s going on, both local ly and statewide.” Rhodes credited Capitol Beat News Service, which the GPA launched nearly four years ago, with con tributing to that mission of informing Georgians about the latest happenings in state government. “The small newspapers don’t have the opportunity to have somebody at the Cap itol,” she said. “That was a void across our state. You ask any newspaper out there, and it has a lifeline to the Capitol.” Rhodes isn’t stepping away from the GPA completely. She plans to spend the next two years in a part-time ca pacity, “I’ll be giving up the day to day and working with Ragen and the [GPA] board, which is a great opportunity for me,” she said. “It keeps me in volved.” Georgia lawmakers looking to simplify dual enrollment By Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service Simplifying Georgia’s dual enrollment program is the key to making it financially sustainable, a former school counselor who now runs a private counseling business told state lawmakers Tuesday. “Until we can get to the clarity piece, we’re never going to have im provement,” Jill Oldham, co-owner of South River Counseling and Consult ing in Conyers, told mem bers of a joint legislative study committee looking for ways to ensure the future stability of what is widely considered a suc cessful program. Oldham was appointed to the pan el by Gov. Brian Kemp. The General Assembly created the study com mittee this year not only to develop recommenda tions for making the dual enrollment program fi nancially sustainable but to accelerate the move ment of high school stu dents earning credit for taking college courses into high-demand careers. An issue driving the for mation of a study commit tee is the dual enrollment program’s cost, which peaked at $105 million in fiscal 2020 before de clining to $76 million this year. The General Assem bly sought to rein in those costs by passing legisla tion in 2020 capping the program at 30 hours. On Tuesday, the study committee discussed a se ries of recommendations expected to emerge in its final report later this fall, including removing the current three-year sunset on the dual enroll ment program, increas ing funding to hire more high-school counselors and technical college in structors, and establish ing a central point for data sharing. But much of Tues day’s meeting focused on the need to more clear ly structure each of the program’s 18 high-de mand career pathways so students know exactly what courses they need to take to qualify for the jobs they’re interested in and don’t waste time and money on irrelevant courses. Legislation then- Gov. Nathan Deal steered through the General As sembly in 2014 offers full technical college tuition coverage for students who pursue careers in any of those 18 high-demand fields. Greg Dozier, com missioner of the Tech nical College System of Georgia, said the state’s technical colleges have entered into 18 “articu lated agreements” with the University System of Georgia - all in high-de mand careers - that allow technical college students to transfer to a four-year state college or universi ty after two years without losing credits. In addition to those 18 agreements, which apply statewide, local technical colleges have worked out 35 ar ticulated agreements with nearby four-year schools that just apply locally, he said. “If we want our kids to get into the workforce as quickly as possible ... articulation is a key,” he said. State Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, one of the committee’s co-chairmen, said the technical college system should not consid er expanding the number of high-demand careers beyond 18 without defin ing what “high-demand” means. “If we add something every time the political winds shift ... at some point, it’s not going to be sustainable anymore,” he said. But Dozier said holding the line on high-demand careers, or even reducing the number, to save mon ey is easier said than done because Georgia has such a wide variety of work force needs. “It seems like every thing we train on is in high demand,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to shrink it versus to grow it.” Brass said simplifying the process school coun selors, students and par ents must navigate to sign up for dual enrollment is critical if local school systems are to buy in to the program. “It’s hard to buy into something you don’t un derstand,” he said. The study committee plans one final meeting to further discuss and adopt recommendations for the full General Assembly to consider during the 2024 legislative session start ing in January. NOTICE OF BOND ELECTION TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE CITY OF COMMERCE, GEORGIA: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 7th day of Novem ber, 2023, an election will be held at the regular polling place in the election districts of the City of Commerce, Georgia (the “City”), at which time there will be submitted to the qualified voters of the City for their determination the question of wheth er or not general obligation bonds in one or more series in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed THIRTEEN MIL LION DOLLARS ($13,000,000) shall be issued by the City for the purpose of providing funds to (a) acquire, finance, construct and install a DOUBLE-GYM RECREATIONAL FACILITY for the City; (b) pay capitalized interest on such bonds; and (c) pay all expenses incident to accomplishing the foregoing. Said bonds, if so authorized, shall be dated as of their date of issuance, shall be in the denomination of $5,000 each or inte gral multiples thereof, shall be numbered from R-l upwards in accordance with their issuance as shown by the registration books kept with respect to such bonds, shall bear interest pay able semiannually on the first days of FEBRUARY and AU GUST in each year, commencing February 1,2025 or the next August 1 or February 1 following their date of issuance, at a rate or rates not to exceed 6.5% per annum, until paid, and shall mature (serially or, at the option of the City, by mandatory sink ing fund redemption) on the first day of February in the years and principal amounts, as follows: Year Amount 2025 $ 385,000 2026 $ 405,000 2027 $ 425,000 2028 $ 450,000 2029 $ 470,000 2030 $ 500,000 2031 $ 525,000 2032 $ 555,000 2033 $ 580,000 2034 $ 610,000 2035 $ 640,000 2036 $ 670,000 2037 $ 705,000 2038 $ 740,000 2039 $ 780,000 2040 $ 825,000 2041 $ 870,000 2042 $ 910,000 2043 $ 955,000 2044 $1,000,000 The principal and interest on said bonds shall be pay able in lawful money of the United States of America at a pay ing agent bank which will be designated prior to the issuance of said bonds. The bonds shall be subject to prepayment and redemption as determined by the City. The ballots to be used at said election shall have writ ten or printed thereon substantially the following: ( ^ YES “Shall the City of Commerce, Georgia (the “City”) be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the principal amount of not to exceed $13,000,000 for the purpose of providing funds to (a) acquire, finance, construct, equip and install a DOUBLE-GYM RECREATIONAL FACILITY for the City; (b) pay capitalized ( ) NO i nteres t on such bonds; and (iii) pay of all expenses incident to accomplishing the foregoing?” The several places for holding said election shall be at the regular and established voting precinct of the election districts of the City, and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date fixed for the election. The last day to register to vote in this election shall be Tuesday, October 10, 2023, through 5:00 p.m. Any brochures, listings, or other advertisements is sued by the City or by any other person, firm, corporation, or association with the knowledge and consent of the City shall be deemed to be a statement of intention of the City concern ing the use of the bond funds, any such statement of intention shall be binding on the City in the expenditure of any such bond funds or interest earned thereon, unless the City uses such bond proceeds for the retirement of bonded indebtedness. Those residents of the City qualified to vote at said election shall be determined in all respects in accordance with the election laws of the State of Georgia. This notice is given pursuant to a resolution of the Mayor and Council of the City of Commerce, adopted July 17th, 2023, and a resolution of the Jackson County Board of Elections and Registration, adopted on August 14th, 2023. _/s/ J. Clark Hill Mayor, City of Commerce, Georgia Chair, Jackson County Board of Elections and Registration
