Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Volume 133 Number 22
Jasper, Georgia
20 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
Jasper council braces for 56 percent tax hike
But stresses they are still looking at it
photo/ city of Jasper Zoom image
In a lengthy Zoom meeting, the Jasper council discussed what could be done with this area
along Main. While some contractors scoffed at the plans to make this into a “plaza”for dining,
Council Member Kirk Raffield said now is the time to make downtown Jasper into a destination.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
In preparing for a vote that
could lead to a 56 percent tax
increase, Jasper Mayor Steve
Lawrence wanted it clearly
stated, they may not raise prop
erty taxes that much. The coun
cil will get into the heart of the
budget in October but they
need to advertise a millage now
to meet state requirements.
The Jasper Council is adver
tising a possible jump in their
tax rate from 4.655 mills to
6.78 mills and the date for public
hearings on the need to increase
revenue. City Manager Brandon
Douglas said that the budget
process is a case of “cart before
the horse.”
Douglas explained they are required to have
a balanced budget in place by December. They
will begin with budget workshops in October
and public hearing on the budget in November
but they need to approve a tax rate first so the
county and schools can proceed with the digest
approval at the state.
Douglas said the problem, as detailed in re
cent city meetings, is a projected $550,000
shortfall. He said that from 2015-2019 expendi
tures in city hall increased at 27 percent while
revenue only grew 12 percent. He said there had
been some “modest gains, but it just doesn’t
keep up.”
He explained that holding a flat millage this
year would produce about $67,000 in additional
revenue due to higher tax values of property in
the city. But he said that wouldn’t keep pace
with the expected
7 percent increase
in the employee
health care bene
fits.
The pro
posed 2.125 mill
increase would
produce a bal
anced budget.
Respond
ing to a question
from council, City
financial director
Beverly Ragland
said, “If we adver
tise 6.78 mills, we
can’t adopt a mill-
age rate higher than
that but we can
adopt a millage rate
lower than that.”
All council members present (John Foust Jr.
was absent) and the mayor commented on the
plan to advertise the higher tax rate:
• Kirk Raffield: It is not a perfect situation,
but I want to be fiscally responsible and appre
ciate the transparency of putting the information
out early.
• Jim Looney: It’s never easy to raise taxes,
but let’s get
See City Taxes on 11A
School board
lowers tax rate
Plans made to apply
for $3 million grant
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The school board unanimously voted to lower
its millage rate for the fifth consecutive year,
down to 14.83 mils from last year’s 15.18 mils.
Pickens CFO Amy Smith credited the reduc
tion to the $75 million in growth to this year’s tax
digest. She said it was thought the digest would
increase in 2020, “and that growth came through.”
In 2016 the school board’s millage rate was
16.1, which is 1.27 mils higher than the new rate
of 14.83.
Despite being lower, the new rate will produce
an additional $608,000 in revenue, for a total of
$22.3 million. That is a 2.8 percent collection in
crease over last year.
Board seeks $3 million grant for College & Ca
reer Ready Academy
Pickens Su-
See School Taxes on 11A
I PICKENS
PUBLIC WORKS
ItJtlC'Odl
CEM158
photo/Angela Reinhardt
County commissioners (l to r) Rob Jones, Becky Denney, and Jerry Barnes at the new public
works building on Camp Road. An open house was held with county employees on Tuesday, Sept.
15. See more details on page 11 A.
Election office
ready for Nov.
turnout 8c
turmoil
Part 2 of a i-part series
Race Relations: Pickens schools
saw peaceful integration here
• Absentee ballot
counting
• Mailing issues
•Record turnout
discussed
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The Pickens Election Board, in
an effort to speed up the ballot
counting process on Election Day,
voted to begin opening absentee
ballots on October 26, just over a
week before the Tuesday, Nov. 3
election.
“But we will only be opening
them,” said Pickens Elections Su
pervisor Julianne Roberts. “We
will not be scanning them until
election night. The ballots will be
kept in a sealed container and that
seal will not be broken until it’s
time to scan. That will give them
more of a head start so they can
put a dent in those ahead of time.”
The election board was up into
the wee hours of the morning dur
ing the primary opening and scan
ning ballots. The process extended
into the next day. The delay was
the result of a large influx of ab
sentee ballots due to COVID-19
and people who did not want to
vote in person.
“We will still have some ballots
to open election night, but starting
early should help,” Roberts said.
At this point, the elections of
fice has 1,500 voters on an absen-
See Election on 11A
Vacation Bible School in 1968 with members of both Friendship Baptist with Rev. Dargan, center, and the
Jasper First Baptist with Rev. Charles Walker, at right.
By Bill Cagle, Thelma Cagle, Karen Benson, Lynette
Bridges, Justin Davis, Andrea Johnson
A letter from Frances Keppel, US Commissioner of
Education, dated July 19, 1965 was received by M. T.
McMurrain, superintendent of the Pickens County Board
of Education, informing him that the most recent sub
mittal of a proposal for desegregation of Pickens County
schools had been approved. With Pickens County
schools set to open in a month, there was little time to
prepare for integration.
The proposal allowed the Black students and teachers
to voluntarily integrate in 1965. Tri-City School, the
school for Black students located in Smoky Hollow (cur
rently Head Start), would remain open for one more year.
In 1966, Tri-City would close, and all schools in the
county would be integrated.
According to Dr. Kathleen Thompson’s article, “Pick
ens County parents and school personnel knew of the vi
olence in other places including in nearby Alabama’s
cities; Little Rock, Birmingham, and Selma. There were
a few die-hard segregationists who called Board of Ed
ucation members to voice their opposition. By and large
the emotions for adults were anxiety, and concern for
everyone’s safety. Parents, Black and White, worried and
fretted. People knew that violence was not the Pickens
County way, but the potential for smaller problems was
there. There was a discussion at the August 3, 1965
Board of Education meeting, but the board records in that
era provided no details of any discussions, only an
agenda.
For students, the impending arrival of Black class
mates at Pickens High School evoked a combination of
curiosity and discomfort that comes with major changes.
“Worry is not the teen way.”
“The morning of the first day of school, teachers and
administrators always arrive early. The principal of Pick
ens High School See Race Relations on 8A
Inside:
Patriot Day
marked at
Veterans Park
Page 12A
Drive-Thru
Flu Shot Clinic
Sept. 28
Page 8A
Rotary and
Lions invite
community to
Peace Day
celebration
Page 8A
Obituaries - 6A
• Blanche Strickland
• Cynthia Cornett
• Edward Stephens
• Jimmy Weeks
• Joyce Conner
• Randall Owens
• Thelma Simonds
• Wallene Roberts
• William Cribb Jr.
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