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The Commerce News
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY
City of Jefferson
Jefferson nets over $i million from school zone speed cameras
But revenues
dropping as
speeders slow down
The automated speed
cameras posted near Jef
ferson City Schools are
apparently slowing down
speeders, according to data
from the city.
Fine revenue from the
cameras has dropped by
more than half since the
cameras were put into op
eration in February 2021.
Still, the cameras have
generated over $1.08 mil
lion in fine revenue for
the city over the past three
years.
The speed detection
cameras operate through
out the school day, not just
when the warning lights
are flashing. The flashing
lights indicate a lower
speed threshold during the
morning and afternoon ar
rival and departure times.
THE INCOME
During the first year of
operation, the cameras
generated revenue to the
city averaging $43,100 per
month.
During 2023, that av
erage had dropped to
$16,900 per month.
In 2021, the speed
ing cameras generated
$474,700 for the city. That
dropped to $416,600 in
2022 and then had a steep
drop to $203,800 in 2023.
HOW IT’S SPENT
The city splits the reve
nue from the fines gener
ated by the cameras 65-35
with the private company
that installed the devices.
The city’s share has been
used to purchase items for
the school system, but the
bulk has gone toward city
police department items.
The funds have been
used to buy school bus
cameras ($12,100), to
paint a crosswalk at the
stadium ($23,600), to buy
a gate for the bus shop
($10,300) and to purchase
school communication ra
dios ($115,000).
The Jefferson Police De
partment has purchased
cars and equipment for
cars, tasers, software,
speed cushions, and flock
cameras. The largest single
expense has been for a JPD
firing range at $230,500.
Over the three years, the
JPD has spent $687,600
from the automated speed
camera fines.
Chamber
Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce 2024 award winners were honored on Feb. 1 during the
group’s annual banquet. Shown here are (Lto R): Michele and Thom Price representing Visiting Angels,
the Small Business of the Year; Jeff Stewart, president, representing Takeuchi Mfg. USA, Large Business
of the Year; Andy Garrison, William H. Booth Lifetime Achievement Award; Sherry and Jeff Grant repre
senting iServe Ministries, Nonprofit of the Year; Jessica Greene, chamber Ambassador of the Year; and
diAna Kunz Huckins, Citizen of the Year. Christiane Belisle, Volunteer of the Year, is not pictured.
Jackson County
BOC set to approved
dirt road paving list
Bid for Phase
II of animal
shelter expansion
awarded
The Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
is slated to vote later this
month on a list of dirt
roads to be paved over the
next two years.
The following dirt/
gravel roads on the list
are slated to be paved, fol
lowed by the amount of
miles to be paved. The list
is subject to being mod
ified as the projects get
underway, or other needs
arise:
Nowhere Lane, 0.26
miles; Tanner Lane, 0.2;
Taylor Brooke Lane, 0.2;
Threatt Rd., 0.59; Old
Winder Jefferson Rd.,
2.65; Hendrix Rd., 0.15;
Old Mill Rd., 0.54; Unity
Church Circle, 2.3; Lani
er Rd., 1.7; Fairview Rd.,
1.34; Lipscomb Lake Rd.,
3.26; Tolbert Trail Rd.,
0.42; Hoods Academy
Rd., 0.5; Old Wages Rd.,
0.28; Jarrett Rd., 0.8; Ed
win Reynolds Rd., 0.65;
Cowart Rd., 0.57; Maley
Rd., 1.2; Slater Rd., 0.36;
Church Rd., 0.4; Ford
Rd., 0.91; Wardlaw Road,
1.01.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business to be
voted on later this month,
the BOC reviewed a
proposal to hire Preci
sion Planning to provide
See BOC,page 2A
Chamber celebrates annual awards dinner
The Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce
hosted a night of celebra
tion on February 1.
Chamber and commu
nity members gathered to
celebrate at the Chamber’s
annual dinner and awards
banquet.
Outgoing Chamber
Chairwoman Tricia Massey
passed the gavel to incom
ing Chairman Steve Witt-
ry. (Kendall Sims stepped
down from the role last
week for personal reasons.)
The evening was capped
off with the annual awards
presentations.
This year’s winners
were: Andy Garrison, Wil
liam H. Booth Lifetime
Achievement Award; Jes
sica Greene, Ambassador
of the Year; Christiane Be-
MAILING LABEL
Incoming president of the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce speaks to the organization
at its annual banquet last week.
lisle was Volunteer of the
Year; Visiting Angels was
Small Business of the Year;
Takeuchi was Large Busi
ness of the Year; iServe
Ministries was named the
first Nonprofit of the Year;
and diAna Kunz Huckins
was named Citizen of the
Year.
Read about each winner
below:
BOOTH LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Andy Garrison was
awarded this year’s Wil
liam H. Booth Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Garrison is a Jackson
County native and worked
in law enforcement for 30
years.
“He trained Jackson
County public safety of
ficers along with 1,000s
throughout Georgia and
formed and served in the
first bomb squad in Clarke
County,” Wittry said. “He
also spent 27 years as the
director of Public Safety
Training Center in Athens
where he established and
implemented a grading sys
tem for regional academies
throughout Georgia.”
Wittry noted that Garri
son is a “pinnacle exam
ple” of someone who gives
back to their community.
Garrison has been involved
in a multitude of nonprof
its, civic organizations and
clubs throughout his life
time.
Garrison helped establish
and served as the president
of the Jefferson Communi
ty Theater.
He’s also an active Jef
ferson Rotary Club mem
ber and currently serves as
Rotary Assistant Governor.
He’s chairman of the
Tumbling Waters Society
and has worked to help pre
serve the Heritage Village
at Hurricane Shoals Park.
He is also currently the
chairman of the Adult Lit
eracy Jackson and he serves
as a commander of the Sons
of the American Legion.
See Chamber, page 2A
Jackson County
Jackson sales tax
income down in 2023
Sales tax revenues in
Jackson County were
down in 2023 compared
to the year before.
The county took in
$13.03 million in 2023
from local option sales
taxes, down from $13.57
million in 2022.
The number was still
above the budgeted
amount of $12.5 million
for the year.
Sales tax data is often
viewed as an indicator of
overall economic activity
in a county since it reflects
retail sales.
City of Commerce
Commerce to vote on rec bond
validation, but move doesn’t
mean city will issue bonds
By Alex Buffington
alex@mainstreetnews. com
Commerce leaders are
set to take action later this
month to proceed with
validating the recreation
bonds approved by voters
on the November ballot.
But the move is procedural
and doesn’t mean the town
plans to issue the bonds.
The Commerce City
Council discussed the mat
ter at its Feb. 5 work session
and is slated to vote on Feb.
19. Council members will
vote on whether to validate
the bonds, but won’t be obli
gated to issue the bonds and
the move won’t cost the city
in management fees.
Assistant City Manager
Matthew Hailey noted the
vote is a housekeeping for
mality.
“If we’re going to use
the bonds at any point, this
validation process has to
occur so they can be used,”
Hailey said. “If no action is
See Commerce, page 2A
Inside
News
.... 1A-3A
Calendar
9B
Opinion
4A
Obituaries
10A-11A
State news....
5A
School 8A, 9A, 12A, 4B
Public safety.
6A-7A
Sports
1B-3B
Social news..
..10B-12B
Classifieds
8B
Church news
9B
Legals
5B-7B
Page 3B
David White
was inducted
into the East
Jackson
Athletic Hall
of Fame on
Jan. 30.
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