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PAGE 6B PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. DECEMBER 1.2022
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 1.2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7B
Witnesses at state Senate hearing call for tighter
control of development authorities
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - While development authorities
are an essential economic development tool
in Georgia, they need more controls to pre
vent abuses, witnesses told a state Senate
study committee Thursday.
Local government and school district of
ficials have complained that development au
thorities are too prone to lavish property tax
abatements on developers that take away the
revenue they need to provide services. The
study committee has been meeting during the
summer and fall to come up with recom
mended legislation for the full Senate to con
sider this winter.
Some of the problems are structural,
DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader
testified Thursday. He said members of de
velopment authority boards tend to remain on
them after their terms have expired because
no one has been appointed to replace them.
In DeKalb County, tax abatements tend to
vary according to the size of a project rather
than maintaining uniformity, Rader said.
“There’s really no qualitative analysis that
goes into these things,” he said.
Worse still, there’s no substantive way to
determine whether a developer seeking tax
abatements would build a project without
them, Rader said.
“Money that goes to unnecessary tax abate
ments hurts school districts and other govern
ments,” he said.
Julian Bene, a former member of the
board at Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic
development arm, cited several instances in
recent years where a developer has asked for
tax abatements and been turned down, yet
went ahead and built their project anyway. He
mentioned the expansion of Ponce City Mar
ket in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward as an exam
ple.
Bene said some development authorities
approve tax abatements simply to gain the
fees they earn from the transaction as a rev
enue source.
“We have a public trust problem with de
velopment authorities,” he said. “If the
boards of these authorities aren’t making de
cisions in the public interest, you’ve got a
problem.”
Both witnesses said tax abatements tend
to be most beneficial when offered for job
generating industrial projects where there’s
competition from other communities. Apart
ments and retail projects don’t tend to need
tax breaks because the developers are moti
vated to build them because of market de
mand.
Sen. Max Bums, R-Sylvania, the study
committee’s chairman, said one topic the
panel should consider in its recommendations
is addressing the charging of fees by devel
opment authorities to generate revenue.
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur,
who is on the committee despite being a
member of the House, suggested eliminating
per-diem payments to members of develop
ment authority boards.
The committee is planning one more
meeting Nov. 30 to begin shaping its report
to the full Senate. The panel expects to re
lease the report next month.
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Pickens County Library Events
Wednesday Family
Storytimes
December 7 & December 14, 10:30
a.m.
Join Miss Crystal at Pickens County
Recreation Department in classroom #1
for weekly storytimes. We’ll have
themed stories and a themed craft. Chil
dren must be accompanied by an adult.
To register for this event, call 706-692-
5411 or visit CalendarWiz.com/Sequoy-
ahRegLib
Themed Adult Book Club at Pendley
Brewing Company
December 11, 3 p.m.
Meet us at Pendley Creek Brewing
Company for a themed book club. This
month’s theme is “What If?” Bring books
where characters experience multiple or
alternate versions of their lives. For ages
21 and older. Contact the Pickens County
Library for helpful discussion questions
Pickens County Library will host a screening and more information. Registration is not
of The Polar Express at Chattahoochee Tech required.
on December 9th at 5pm.
The Polar Express evening of holiday fun. Stick around to visit
December 19, 5p.m. with Santa and participate in holiday games!
Join us for The Polar Express at Chatta- All attendees are invited to wear their paja-
hoochee Tech Appalachian Campus for an mas. Registration is not required.
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SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
8AM-5PM Early Voting @ Community A
Center, Camp Rd.
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship Pres
byterian Church
2-5PM Open House @ The Lodge At
Stephens Lake
4:30PM Commissioner's Work Session
@ Pickens Cty. Admin Bldg.
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
7:30PM Christmas at Reinhardt
8AM-5PM Early voting @ community r\
Center, Camp Rd. /
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Cen- 4 “
ter
2-5PM Open House @ The Lodge At
Stephens Lake
6-9PM Live music with Jordon Denton @
Old Mulehouse
7PM Ball Ground Christmas Parade
7:30PM Christmas at Reinhardt
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
8PM Donny Hammonds Band @ Roccos
8AM Yoga @ Kec. center
10AM-3PM Thrift Store Chili CookOff Q
10AM Welcome Hands Quilters @ vJ
Episcopal Church of the Holy Family
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
11AM-2PM Open House @ The Lodge At
Stephens Lake
3PM & 7:30PM Christmas at Reinhardt
6-9PM Live music with Adrian Stover @
Old Mulehouse
7PM Gospel Singing @ Jones Mt. House
of Prayer
Noon-2PM Adventist hood Pantry a
open, 600 Burnt Mtn. Rd. lL
12-3PM Gary Hooper @ Old Mule-
house
1 -5PM ACES Tour of Homes
2- 4PM Night of Lights Events downtown
Jasper
3- 7PM Antique Christmas/Open House @
Old Jail, Downtown Jasper
6PM Jasper Night of Lights Christmas Pa
rade, Downtown
6-8PM Christmas crafts @ Cocktails @
Old Mulehouse
8AM-1 PM Pinochle @ Pickens Senior
Center (Daily) 3
3PM & 7:30PM One Christmas Night
in Memphis @ Reinhardt’s Falany Center
5PM TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) @
Cool Springs Baptist
6PM Jasper City Council @City Hal
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church ps
of the Holy Family Q
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship
Presbyterian Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
3 earl Harbor Day "7
10:30AM Library's Family Storytime /
@ Rec. Center
Noon Rotary @ Chatt. Tech
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship ^
Presbyterian Church W
10AM-1PM Cool Springs Baptist ^
Church Food Ministry open
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
6 PM School Board @ 100 D.B. Carroll
Street
7PM Pickens Community Service Club @
Cty. Admin. Bldg.
7PM Amateur Radio Club @ Cornerstone
Church Auxiliary bldg.
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec.
Center M
6-9PM Live music with Loose v
Shoes @ Old Mulehouse
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
8PM Them Mixon Boys @ Rocco’s
8AM Yoga @ Rec. Center a
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church \ ( J
of the Holy Family v
1-6PM Christmas in North Georgia @ Liv
ing Water Ministries
4-8PM Holiday Walk on Main Street in
Jasper
6-9PM Live music with Daisey Chain @
Old Mulehouse
8PM Bent To Fly @ Rocco’s
Noon-2PM Adventist Food Pantry A A
open, 600 Burnt Mtn. Rd.
Noon-4:30PM Drive-thru Santa Ex
perience @ Reinhardt’s Falany Center
12-3PM Live music @ Old Mulehouse
3PM Pickens Library’s Adult Book Club @
Pendley Creek Brewing. This month’s
theme “What If?”
3PM Celebration of Christmas in Music @
Fellowship Presbyterian Church
6PM The Polar Express movie @ Rein
hardt’s Falany Center
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens 4 O
Senior Center (Daily) I ^
5PM TOPS @ Cool Springs Baptist
6PM Planning & Development Meeting @
Cty. Admin. Bldg.
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church a r\
of the Holy Family H 4
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship ^
Presbyterian Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
7AM Chamber Breakfast @ Chatt Tech
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
10:30AM Library's Family Storytime a A
@ Rec. Center | L|.
Noon Rotary @ Chatt. Tech
6-8PM Cookies For Santa @ Old Mule-
nouse
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship a i—
Presbyterian Church 1
4:30&5:30PM Commissioners’ ^
Work Session & Meeting @ Cty.
Admin. Bldg.
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. 4 C
Center I \J
6-9PM Live music with Rusted
Melody @ Old Mulehouse
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
8PM Jessie Albright Band @ Rocco’s
8AM Yoga @ Rec. Center . _
10AM Welcome Hands Quilters @ 4 7
Episcopal Church of the Holy Fam- 1 '
ily
10AM-2PM Tate Depot Open House
11AM Tai Chi @ Episcopal Church of the
Holy Family
6-9PM Live music with Jadie Lee @ Old
Mulehouse
8PM Stacy Wilson & The Band Raven @
Rocco’s
Noon-2PM Adventist Food Pantry 4 Q
open, 600 Burnt Mtn. Rd. 1 U
12-3PM Russ Still @ Old Mule
house
1:30-5:30PM Live Music @ Fainting Goat
Vineyards
2PM Vintage Vixens @ Rocco’s
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens 4 Q
Senior Center (Daily) 1 \J
5PM Pickens Library presents The
Polar Express @ Chatt Tech
5PM TOPS @ Cool Springs Baptist
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church 0/~V
of the Holy Family ^
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship
Presbyterian Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
Winter Begins O 4
Schools Out for Christmas Break^. 1
Noon Rotary @ Chatt. Tech
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship r\r\
Presbyterian Church J J
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec.
Center
6-8PM Cookies for Santa @ Old Mule
house
7PM Pickens Community Service Club @
Cty. Admin. Bldg.
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. OQ
Center ^
6-9PM Live music with Jeremy
Dean @ Old Mulehouse
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
8PM One For The Road @ Rocco’s
Christmas Eve A
6PM Nativity Service @ Fellowship/^.
Presbyterian
Christmas Day ^ ^
8AM-1PM Pinochle @ Pickens
Senior Center (Daily) ^ O
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @
Jasper United Methodist
10AM Yoga @ Episcopal Church of O "7
the Holy Family ^ /
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship
Presbyterian Church
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. Center
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec. Center
8PM Narcotics Anonymous @ Jasper
United Methodist
Noon Rotary @ Chatt. Tech ^ Q
10AM Dancercize @ Fellowship QQ
Presbyterian Church ^ cj
5:30PM Yoga with Karen @ Rec.
Center
10AM-12PM Pickelball @ Rec. r\ r\
Center ^ M
6-9PM Live music with Madon
Parker @ Old Mulehouse
8PM Betting On The Mule @ Rocco’s
New Year’s Eve Q A
2PM Trailer Hippies @ Rocco’s |
10PM-1AM New Years Eve Cele
bration with DJ Gotem @ Old Mulehouse
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