Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Volume 133 Number 24
Jasper, Georgia
26 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
Jasper says tax hike is only
way to keep current services
Staff Reports
At the Thursday morning public
hearing on a proposed 56 percent
tax increase in Jasper, no members
of the public attended and no ques
tions were asked from those
watching via Zoom. In the evening
public hearing the same day, atten
dance was also dismal with only
few questions ask.
City Manager Brandon Douglas
took time at both sessions to ex
plain why city hall is asking the
elected officials to go along with a
tax rate that will increase from 4.55
to 6.78 next year.
Had the city followed the
county and schools and rolled their
tax rate back to keep revenue
steady using the higher property
values, they would have lowered
their tax rate to 4.345 mils.
According to the city’s explana
tion, they need more revenue just
to keep services the same. The tax
hike results from chronic under-
funding for many years with them
being unable to rein in spending
over the same time frame.
“In the most simplistic terms,
when we met with department
heads, to basically keep the same
level of services, we would be run
ning a $550,000 deficit [if they
didn’t increase revenue with the
tax increase],” Douglas said the
morning hearing.
Over a period of years, revenue
has grown at 2 to 2.5 percent while
expenditures have grown any
where from three to 5.5 percent, he
said, adding “this is not a sustain
able model.”
Douglas said they were “being
mindful of the pandemic” and tried
to project future revenue in normal
A draft of the City of Jasper’s
General Fund Expenditures
■ 32000 POLICE DEPARTMENT
■ 35000 FIRE DEPARTMENT
42000 STREET DEPARTMENT
15100 FINANCIAL ADMIN
■ 80000 DEBT SERVICE
■ 74000 PLANNING & ZONING
■ 11000 LEGISLATIVE
■ 13000 EXECUTIVE
■ 49000 FLEET MAINTENANCE
■ 62000 PARKS ADMIN
■ 26500 MUNICIPAL COURT
■ 39100 ANIMAL CONTROL DEPT
■ 72000 PROTECTIVE INSP DEPT
circumstances.
For 2020 he projected about a
3.5 percent rise in expenses with a
budget of $4.9 million rising to
about $5.1 million.
See Tax on 13A
Governor tours Jasper food company
Larry Cavender / Photo
Governor Brian Kemp toured the Mama Geraldine’s Bodacious Food Company plant
in Jasper Tuesday afternoon. When greeted by company officials, the governor exclaimed,
“I’m a big fan. ’’Several local political leaders were also in attendance at Bodacious Foods
on Gennett Drive. The local cheese straw company will soon be distributed nationally. Gov.
Kemp stopped here on a tour of businesses throughout north Georgia, which also included
CAIRE in Ball Ground.
Progress to host commission chair
candidate forum October 5th
The Pickens Progress will host a forum
between commission chair candidates
David Shouse (I) and Kris Stancil (R) on
Monday, Oct. 5.
The event will be held at the Pickens
County Administration Building, downstairs
in the Pickens Room, beginning at 7 p.m. It
will be moderated by longtime Progress
contributor Larry Cavender, who has mod
erated numerous other political debates, fo
rums, and town hall meetings in the past.
There will be prepared questions and
questions will be taken from the floor.
Limited seating will be available, first
come first seated with social distancing re
quirements. Those who plan to attend please
use common sense: don’t come if you are
not feeling well, wear a mask, spread out in
the room.
the 2020 Homecoming ceremony at Dragon Stadium
on Friday, September 25th. Senior Cassidy Richards,
center, was named Homecoming Queen. Richards is a
member of the PHS Nettes Basketball team, a Pickens
Wyldlife leader, and a member of Beta Club. After
graduating next spring, Cassidy hopes to attend college
and become a pediatric dental hygienist.
Junior Jamisen Bail was named 2020 Homecoming
Princess. Bail, left, is an officer for Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, a member of the PHS Dance Team,
is active with her youth group at Jasper United
Methodist Church and assists with classes at Get To
The Pointe Dance Center. After high school, she hopes
to attend college and pursue a degree in education.
The 2019 Homecoming Queen Hailey Brooks,
right, presented this year’s crowns. See more photos of
the Homecoming Court on pages 6-8B.
(CADY Studios/ Photo)
Sales tax hits record high
550,000.00
500,000.00
450,000.00
400,000.00
350,000.00
300,000.00
250,000.00
$ ^44 //V 1 44 444 ^ 44 / /V' ^ 44 444 ^ 4 4 444
2014 SPLOST collection monthly numbers from the Pickens County government. The school system also
collects a separate, one-cent sales tax.
Part 3 of a 3-part series
Navigating
the modern
challenges of
race relations
By Bill Cagle, Thelma Cagle,
Karen Benson, Lynette Bridges,
Justin Davis, Andrea Johnson
Rapid population growth, the
economy, and over reliance on so
cial media present new challenges
for nurturing peaceful race rela
tions in Pickens County. In this
final article about race relations,
we will explore how population
growth, the economy, and social
media are influencers in the com
munity. We will cite some exam
ples from the past that can instruct
future actions.
In 1970 Pickens County’s pop-
See Relations on 13A
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Special Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax (SPLOST) collections
have hit record highs in the last
few months, with a peak of
$537,864 this May. A look at col
lections since the 2014 SPLOST
began also shows a steady increase
over the last six years.
Not surprisingly, the one-cent
sales tax collections see a spike
each year around Christmas and
the holiday season, then fall off at
the beginning of the year around
January and February. There was
the typical drop early this year, but
just as the pandemic ramped up in
March SPLOST collections also
sharply increased by $132,306,
from $405,558 in January to the
high of $537,864 in May. June col
lections were down to $512,807.
The 2014 SPLOST has ended and
2020 SPLOST collections have
begun. The first 2020 SPLOST
distribution collected in July and
See SPLOST on 13A
Inside:
Is the City of
Jasper’s well on
someone else’s
property?
Page 5A
Trick-or-
treating
discussion
expected
at council
meeting
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
According to Jasper
Mayor Steve Lawrence, city
council will discuss Hal
loween trick-or-treating and
times, as well as other up
coming holiday events at
their Monday, October 5
meeting.
The city of Jasper, in con
junction with the Jasper Mer
chants Association, host
annual downtown events like
business trick-or-treating on
Main Street and the Jasper
Christmas parade. COVID
concerns have caused many
events to be cancelled this
year including JeepFest, the
Marble Festival, Fourth of
July festivities, and more.
Obituaries - 10A
• Andy Baird
• Bob McFarland
• Buddy Jones
• Douglas Elrod Jr.
• Elizabeth
Cunningham
• Jeffery Griggs
• Jeff Ray
• Roger Beck
• Shirley Cyr
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
www.pickensprogress.com
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