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The Commerce News
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY
Commerce
Commerce
to purchase
land for
second waste
water plant
By Alex Buffington
alex@mainstreetnews. com
Commerce city lead
ers took a big step this
week toward expanding
the city’s waste water
treatment capacity.
The Commerce City
Council voted on Mon
day, Dec. 18, to pur
chase property to build
a second waste water
treatment plant. The city
plans to purchase 42
acres on Haggard Road
for around $2.3 million.
The closing date is in
February.
Earlier this year, the
city announced it re
ceived a state grant
for $33 million to help
fund the cost of the new
plant, estimated to to
tal $40 million. Mayor
Clark Hill noted the city
has to spend that $33
million in 3 years.
On Monday, Mayor
Hill noted the city hopes
to have the second waste
water facility operation
al in 2026.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also at its Monday
meeting, the council:
•honored outgoing
City Council member
Johnny Eubanks, who
did not seek reelec
tion this year. See next
week’s paper for photos
from his reception and
recognition.
•swore in Municipal
Judge Billy Chandler.
See next week’s paper
for the swearing in pho
to.
•recognized city em
ployees for anniversary
employment years (5,
10, 15 years, etc.). See
next week’s paper for
photos.
•tabled a number of
proposed changes to
the unified development
code. The council wants
more information on
a proposed sign ordi
nance.
APPROVED ITEMS
Items approved by the
council on Monday in
cluded:
•reappointing
See Commerce, page 2A
MAILING LABEL
County BOC
BOC approves resolution calling for higher senior exemptions
Issue no w goes to
legislature, then voters
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
The Jackson County Board
of Commissioners formally
adopted a resolution calling
for higher homestead exemp
tions for senior citizens at its
Dec. 18 meeting.
The resolution only calls
for increasing the exemption
amounts for county gov
ernment taxes. The Jackson
County Board of Education
has also called for higher se
nior exemptions.
The BOC called for raising
the homestead exemption on
county government taxes for
those age 62+ from $2,000
to $10,000 and for those 65+
from $10,000 to $25,000.
There would be no income
caps for either exemption.
For higher senior exemp
tions to become a reality,
local state legislators would
have to introduce and have
passed local legislation in the
upcoming General Assembly
session setting the higher ex
emptions.
Following that, voters in
all affected jurisdictions in
the county would have to ap
prove the higher exemptions
on the ballot next November.
Higher exemptions wouldn’t
become effective until 2025.
For the past few years,
senior citizens have been
lobbying local governments
for higher exemptions. As
housing values have gone up,
existing exemptions have be
come less valuable. In addi
tion, many newcomer senior
citizens come from Gwinnett
County which has generous
exemptions for seniors.
But higher exemptions for
senior citizens doesn’t low
er taxation overall, it would
shift the tax burden to young
er taxpayers who have small
er and more limited home
stead exemptions.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the BOC:
• approved an amendment
to its agreement with Cor-
recthealth Jackson LLC for
medical services at the Jack-
son County Correctional In
stitute.
• approved raising the
hourly pay rate for court-ap
pointed attorneys for juvenile
court services.
• approved a deannexation
See BOC,page 2A
Wreaths Across America
Jefferson
Photos by Eden Pethel
Jim Strong, veteran, salutes after laying a veteran’s wreaths in memory of
those who served and are serving in the United States Air Force. Color Guard
provided by the Jefferson High School Air Force JROTC.
Wreaths Across America
America Day took place on
December 16 at 4,225 par
ticipating locations across
the country.
“Our nation’s heroes were
remembered as each name
was said aloud and honored
as over two million volun
teers, a third of whom were
children, helped place more
than 2.9 million veterans’
wreaths on headstones of
our fallen across the coun
try,” organizers said.
At Woodbine Cemetery,
Jefferson, 205 veterans’
wreaths were placed by
more than 50 volunteers in
cluding members of the Al
bert Gordon American Le
gion Post 56, James Pittman
Chapter Daughters of the
American Revolution, Eli
sha Winn Society Children
of the American Revolu
tion, and American Heritage
Girls Troop GA0594.
“Wreaths Across Amer
ica would like to thank the
community, dedicated vol
unteers, generous sponsors,
and essential truck driv
ers, for coming together in
unity and supporting those
who have protected our
freedom,” organizers said.
“Each person has played an
important part in the mis
sion to remember the fallen,
honor those that serve and
their families, and teach the
next generation the value of
freedom.”
Each live, balsam vet
eran’s wreath was a gift of
respect and appreciation,
sponsored by an individual
See Wreaths, page 2A
Day observed in Jefferson
National Wreaths Across
American Heritage Girl, Caroline Grey, lays a vet
eran’s wreath on the stone of a veteran buried at
Woodbine Cemetery in Jefferson.
Bob France, veteran, lays a veteran’s wreath on the
stone of a veteran buried at Woodbine Cemetery in
Jefferson.
Jefferson green lights
two road projects
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
Two major road projects
for Jefferson got city coun
cil approval this week,
pending further approval
by the state DOT.
In a proposed downtown
project, the Jefferson City
Council approved tentative
plans to build addition
al parking behind the old
transmission shop on Syc
amore St. The move would
also connect a street from
Sycamore to Gordon St.
That move comes as
the DOT is looking to
change lane directions at
the downtown red-light,
officials said. The DOT
wants to make the cur
rent righthand westbound
(from Commerce) thru
lane a right turn only lane.
With that, the current left
turn lane onto Gordon St.
would become the west
bound thru lane.
Those who have tradi
tionally turned left off of
Sycamore onto Gordon St.
would use the new connec
tion.
The move would require
the demolition of the old
transmission shop.
Both the additional park
ing and the rerouting of
traffic to alleviate the daily
bottleneck downtown are
issues long discussed by
the city council.
In a second proposed
project, the council gave
a green light to proceed
with building a round
about at Jett Roberts Rd.
and Hwy. 82 by accepting
See Jefferson, page 2A
Hoschton
Hoschton corridor
map finalized
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Hoschton will have a
new corridor map, though
the finalized version will
incorporate only a portion
of the original routes pro
posed.
The city council, on
Monday (Dec. 18), ap
proved a second reading of
a corridor map that shows
a greenway trail running
from the new Alma Farms
subdivision on Peachtree
Rd. to Industrial Blvd. and
an extension of Peachtree
Rd. that crosses Hwy. 53
and extends to Town Cen
ter Pkwy. The Peachtree
Rd. extension is tied to
the construction of a new
Kroger store on Hwy. 53.
The road construction will
be the developer’s respon
sibility.
The council, however,
removed an extension of
West Jackson Rd. con
necting to Hwy. 332 that
runs through former May
or Shannon Sell’s proper
ty where a gated subdivi
sion is planned.
Sell addressed the coun
cil during Thursday’s
work session before the
Monday vote, strongly
opposing the road propos
al.
“If y’all adopt this, it
encumbers my property,”
he said. “It puts a cloud
over it. It devalues my
property. You’re talking
about doing it without
compensating me.”
The scaled-down ver
sion of the corridor map
passed with a 4-2 vote.
Mayor Debbie Martin
and Councilman David
Brown voted in opposi
tion because both wanted
to delay the decision until
January.
Other proposed roads
were removed from the
corridor map before
Monday’s meeting. In
See Hoschton, page 2A
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