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THURSDAY. OCTOBER 10. 2013 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Newsjrom Jasper City Council Meeting.
Lawsuit wipes out Jasper’s fund balance;
but city on track to keep same millage rate
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogressonline.com
While no significant opera
tional findings surfaced, the city
of Jasper’s 2012 audit shows a
recent lawsuit and underesti
mated revenues from fines has
decimated the city’s fund bal
ance.
Lee Jennings of R.L. Jen
nings & Associates, who pre
sented the audit to council at
their regular meeting on Monday,
Oct. 7, reported the city as hav
ing a negative fund balance of
$46,000.
Last month the city lost a suit
filed by a property owner whose
land was damaged as a result of
water runoff created by work the
city did to prevent erosion on the
adjacent property. The case re
sulted in a judgment against the
city for $367,000, which the city
has appealed.
The city also overestimated
fines and forfeiture revenues by
$87,726, according to the audit
ing firm.
“The results of that litigation
affected those numbers dramati
cally,” Jennings told council
members. “The general fund
began at $483,000 at the begin
ning of the year, but these fund
balance adjustments result in an
adjusted general fund balance of
$27,000.”
Jennings said when the
$27,000 balance is run through
current year revenues and expen
ditures “you end up with a nega
tive general fund balance.”
When the city’s capital assets,
infrastructure, depreciation of as
sets and long-term debt are taken
into account, Jennings said the
city has a “net position” of just
under $4 million.
The city has a financial policy
that requires they keep a mini
mum level of unrestricted fund
balance that equals two to three
months of general fund revenues
as a cushion for unexpected oc
currences.
Jasper’s CFO Lisa Hoyle said
the city’s finance committee will
be meeting in the next few weeks
to discuss next year’s budget and
ways the city can replenish the
fund balance.
Even with the unexpected
turn of events Hoyle suggested
the city has plans to keep the
same millage rate for the upcom
ing fiscal year. Council will hold
a public hearing before adopting
a new millage rate.
Jennings also reported the city
is not in compliance with
hotel/motel tax laws, which re
quire the city spend at least 66
percent of hotel/motel tax rev
enues on tourism. For 2012 the
city only spent 48 percent of the
tax that was collected.
Jasper Mayor John Weaver
said the city has plans to use
some of the tourism money on a
New Year’s Eve party they are
throwing in conjunction with the
Pickens County Chamber of
Commerce. Weaver said the cel
ebration would feature a “no
table” band as entertainment.
“Hopefully this will be an
economic development event
and we will get people to come
in from other areas,” Weaver
said.
Water resort update
Economic Development Di
rector Gerry Nechvatal said ne
gotiations between Port Royal -
developers of a proposed indoor
water park - and property own
ers on Hwy 515 are moving
slower than he had expected.
But he said the project is still
active and the parties involved
are considering putting the prop
erty under control of the Down
town Development Authority of
Jasper.
“That would allow us to have
control over the property and
allow for the Port Royal people
to finalize their financing,”
Nechvatal said. “That is the
course of action they want to
take. The legal department is
drawing up some documents to
review.”
Nechvatal said this move not
only satisfies a stipulation of the
Georgia Department of Eco
nomic Development, but that it
also allows the city to exercise
more control over the project. In
a later telephone interview Nech
vatal said the DDA would not be
purchasing the property, but “act
ing as a third party to hold the
property, which will provide a
mechanism that will allow of a
deed to be tendered.”
“The project is still active,” he
said at the meeting. “It is just
moving forward much more
slowly than I anticipated.”
In other city news:
•ETC made a presentation to
council regarding the city’s tele
phone service. ETC representa
tives said they could save the city
over $500 a month using their
services. The city is currently
contracted with Windstream
Communications.
Democrat hot dog day Oct. 12 benefits CARES
Submitted by Pickens Democ
rats
Free hot dogs, all the fixings,
salads, side dishes and dessert
(with marshmallows for toasting)
will be served Saturday to atten
dees of the annual Hot Dog
Roast to benefit CARES, Pick
ens County’s Community Assis
tance Resources and Emergency
Services organization. Sponsored
by the Pickens County Democ
rats, the event is open to the pub
lic and will be held on Saturday,
Oct. 12, from 2:30-5:30 p.m. at
the large Pavilion at the Pickens
County Community Center in
Roper Park at 1329 Camp Road,
Jasper.
Attendees will be asked to
make donations to CARES and
also will be able to participate in
a 50-50 drawing where one-half
of the proceeds will go to
CARES and one half to the lucky
ticket holder.
G. David Robinson, chair of
the Pickens County Democratic
Committee, said the group de
cided to step up its activities in
support of CARES since the
need for their services has
grown. In previous years the
group had donated canned goods
and other non-perishable items at
its meetings and social events.
“Pickens County Democrats care
about CARES and the people it
serves.”
“Congress, the House specif
ically, has blocked anything that
might create jobs; it has been so
busy keeping people from get
ting health insurance that it has
paid no attention to the economy;
and it’s still trying to cut food
stamps,” Robinson said.
“CARES food pantry is more im
portant than ever for families
who don’t have enough to eat.”
CARES is more than a food
bank. CARES helps applicants in
the following ways: Help with
basic needs such as food, help
with rent and utility bills, help
with school supplies, help in
finding work and help in improv
ing employment potential.
“Local families now have
only the people in our commu
nity to turn to for help. We’re
going to step up, and we encour
age others to do the same,”
Robinson said.
This event is open to the pub
lic. “The Pickens County De
mocrats welcome everyone
interested in supporting the com
munity. If ‘community’ means
anything, it means caring about
each other, looking after each
other,” Robinson concluded.
We look forward to seeing
you at the Pavilion on Saturday,
Oct. 12. For more information
about this event please call
Robinson at 770-893-9134 or
Marty Aldridge at 706-299-1411.
Fencing
Plus
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Gorgeous weather for an outdoor
lunch/dinner/drink
We have the perfect shady, rocking
chair front porch
Come by and enjoy it anytime
W00DBRIDGE Inn
44 Chambers Street
Jasper, GfK 30143
706-253-8500
Enjoy Beer & Brats
Woodbridge
style
on our
shady
front
porch. *
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cials and updates.
* You may enjoy beer/wine on our front porch any time we
are open.
* The Woodbridge Inn serves lunch every Tuesday, Wednesday
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Dinner - Tuesday through Saturday 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
The flexibility to trade up, if interest rates increase!
Ability to trade for a higher interest rate once
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706.253.7070
100 Mark Whitfield St. or 1449 W. Church St. - Jasper
Stearns
BANK-