Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, September 23, 2021 | Volume 134 Number 23 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1-00
Driver dies after crashing
into Gennett Drive ravine
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
A Pickens man was found dead
Thursday, Sept. 16 in his vehicle after
he drove through barricades and into a
ravine on Gennett Drive. No one saw
the accident and it is unclear when it
happened.
The culvert-bridge on Gennett
washed out in March of this year dur
ing a massive downpour, leaving a
large chasm. The road has been barri
caded since, and a detour put in place.
According to Georgia State Patrol
Post #28 Commander Tim Nichols,
Jasper police officers patrolling the
area at approximately 1:30 p.m. on
September 16 saw the barricades had
been busted through.
They then drove to the site of the
washed out bridge. “They found the ve
hicle in the creek bed,” Nichols said.
The 1993 Toyota Camry, driven by
Buddy Lee Reed, 46, Jasper, crashed
into the ravine and head-on into the
embankment. He was deceased when
officers found the crash.
Nichols said Reed’s brother and sis
ter-in-law told law enforcement he was
living with them in their house off
Cove Road, and the last time they saw
See Bridge on 11A
A 46-year-old man died after driving through barricades and into a ravine where a culvert washed out
months ago in torrential rain.
Buchanan
arrested
for sex
trafficking
Roland Buchanan
book-in photo
GBI press release
On Monday, September
13, 2021, Pickens County
resident, Roland Buchanan,
age 67, was arrested and
charged with one count of
Criminal Attempt to Com
mit the Offense of Human
Trafficking, one count of
See Buchanan on 11A
County tax bills out and on time
for the first time in decades
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
In the first year of his first
full term, Tax Commissioner
Daniel Reeves has done
something that hasn’t hap
pened here since before 2000
- delivered tax bills to prop
erty owners on time.
Reeves took over the final
year of his predecessor’s
term in 2019, so technically
this is his second year in
charge of the almost 22,000
bills now in the hands of tax
payers.
And while no one likely
celebrates getting their tax
bill at any time, it is a big
deal for the county to get bills
out on time.
The bills total
$33,977,852 in revenue for
the county government and
school system combined.
Taxpayers should note 66
percent goes to fund the
schools and 34 to the county.
Municipal tax bills will come
separately.
The bills were mailed last
week and should have
reached property owners this
week. They are due by No
vember 15. Reeves explained
that mailing in September
with a mid-November due
date is the standard around
the state, but one that Pickens
hadn’t met for decades.
“Absolutely it is good to
get it out on time,” Reeves
said. “It will be a benefit to
the county.” He elaborated
that it will give the county,
school system and cities first
grab at some grants; it means
revenue coming in earlier
which could reduce or pre
vent entirely borrowing to
cover cash flow issues when
bills are mailed late.
And for the taxpayers it
means that bills are due well
before Christmas. In the past,
bills were generally mailed in
October and fell due right at
See Tax Bills on 11A
©
DANIEL REEVES
PICKENS COUNTY TAX COMMISSIONER
126S E CHURCH ST STE 112
JASPER GA 30143-1916
2021 Property Tax Statement
Bill No.
18697
Due Date TOTAL DUE
11/15/2021 5403.46
MAKE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO:
Pickens County Tax Commissioner
ONLINE PAYMENTS:
wwwPickensgatax.com
THE EDGE BUILDING LLC
94 N MAIN ST
JASPER GA 30143-1510
llllllllilll!lllllllllillllil;!lll!lll
DANIEL REEVES
PICKENS COUNTY TAX COMMISSIONER
1266 E CHURCH ST STE 112
JASPER GA 30143-1916
Phono: (706) 253-8882 Fax: (70$) 253-8898
Tax Payee THE EDGE BUILDING LLC
Map Code: JA07 088 REAL
Description; DIST12 LL306 326AC PICKENS COUNTY PROGRES
Location: 94 NORTH MAIN ST
Bill No: 2021-18697
District: 002 JASPER
Building
Value
Land
Acres
Fair Market Valuo Due Date
"■’srs"'
428.049.00
191.924.00 0.33
619.973.00 | 11/15/2021 |
11/15/2021
Entity
Adjusted
Net
Exemptions
Taxable Value
Mlllage
Rate
Gross Tax
Credits
Net Tax
STATE TAX
619,973.00
247.990.00
0.00
247.990.00
0.000
0.00
0.00
000
COUNTY M&O
619.973.00
247.990.00
0.00
247.990.00
10.190
2.526.97
0.00
0.00
SALES TAX ROLLBACK
619.973.00
247,990.00
0.00
247.990.00
2.701
0.00
-669.77
-66977
SCHOOL M40
619,973.00
247.990.00
0.00
247.990.00
14.300
3.546 26
0.00
000
JASPER CITY HB 463
619.973.00
247.990.00
0.00
247.990.00
0.000
0.00
0.00
0.00
TOTALS
1
21.789
6.073.231 -669.77
5.40346
The Tax Commissioner is the tax collector and is not responsible (or values nor for rates.
1 -AnllUMMOtt a scan to on IlM |
wmyourNlonWW
If you feel the assessed fair market value of your property is incorrect, please contact the Tax
Assessors office at 706.253.8700
Payments made after the due date are subject to Interest and penalties governed by Georgia Code.
State law requires all tax bills to be mailed to owner ot record on January 1st. If property has been
sold, please contact our office.
sr,v»^ p " wo, ”^'“ ,5 ' o “ rT " Cmm ““''' hi iin ii ii iihi ii lit
w*w Pickensgatax-ccm xautm
8*1 No: 18697
This bill is not sent to your mortgage company. If you have an escrow account, please forward a
copy of this bill to your mortgage company
Current Due 5403 46
Penalty
000
Interest
000
If a receipt Is desired, please Include a self addressed stamped envelope.
Other Fees
000
Each resident of Pickens County is eligible for a homestead exemption on the property owned and
Previous Payment
000
occupied as permanent residence on January 1st of the taxable year Applications and tax returns
Back Taxes
000
must be made by April 1st of the tax year to be received.
TOTAL DUE 540346
Tax bills on time and with new ways to pay online.
Above, the Edge Building’s (Pickens Progress) bill.
From the commissioners’meeting
COVID testing now at Mt. Zion; Grandview
water plant & sick time bank also discussed
Max Caylor / Photo
Mark Maddox (right) and Commission Chair Kris
Stancil with the new 42-inch Pickens County government
logo designed by Maddox Metal Works.
“We wanted something that would pop and got with
Mark to design the black metal logo, ” said Stancil. The
sign took Maddox about 20 hours to produce and he is
donating his labor and materials. “What makes it really
special is that there is a piece of Georgia Marble in the
basket of the crane, ” said Stancil. The artwork is part of
a remodeled county conference room at the administra
tive offices.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
At last week’s commis
sioners’ work session, Pick
ens Public Safety Director
Sloan Elrod announced a
new free COVID testing site
in Jasper.
Testing will now be of
fered at Mt. Zion Church
every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to
3 p.m.
The state’s public health
website strongly recom
mends registration before
testing. The website is
https://mako.exchange/splas
h/GAmakotesting. They can
also be reached at 919-351-
MAKO (6256).
The Georgia Department
of Public Health (DPH) has
partnered with Mako Med
ical to provide these sites
across the state. According to
the DPH website, these will
be PCR tests, not rapid tests.
Elrod noted that the num
ber of daily cases in Pickens
County has decreased some
over the past week, but he
and other county leaders still
urged residents to take pre
cautions. He added that local
deaths have increased over
the last few weeks. (Accord
ing to the Georgia Depart
ment of Public Health, as of
Monday, Sept. 20 there have
been 75 confirmed deaths
among Pickens residents, an
other 20 probable deaths and
282 hospitalizations here due
to COVID-19).
Commission Chair Stancil
said although evidence he
was recently presented with
shows that unvaccinated peo
ple are experiencing more se-
See Meeting on 11A
Benson cr
of Homec
Robin Dunn / Photo
Last year’s Queen, Cassidy Richards, crowns 2021
Homecoming Queen Megan Benson as her father Matt
escorts her Friday at Pickens High. See more pics, 2A.
Inside this Edition:
Ladder required
for tomato crop
at Pickens home
Page 8A
Development
270-unit apart
ments proposed
near Hwy. 515
Page 12A
O’Neill Outdoors
talks about
Whitetail Deer
going on vacation
Page 10B
Obituaries - 10A
• Aaron Houp
• Barbara Goodwill
• Buddy Lee Reed
• Carolyn Pawlicki
• Darlene Coker
• David Nolan
• Edna Watson
• Frank DeLoach Jr.
• Gene Chapman
• Joe Clark
• John Fisler
• Joseph Wrba
• Karen Dagley
• Kayla Gable
• Martha Eller
• Maximo Melo
• Rose Priest
• Shirley Whitaker
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
www.pickensprogress.com
Open for business during
these hours: Mon-Thurs,
9-5, and Fri, 9-4:30
$1.00 per copy