Newspaper Page Text
Pickens
High School
on Page 2B
Thursday, August 31, 2023 | Volume 136 Number 20 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Schools to cut property tax rate
Growth in property values
allows roll back
but neighboring counties
growing faster, cutting more
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
The school board voted Friday to cut half a mil
off the tax rate but still expects increased property
tax revenue from growth in the county.
However, as the school system’s Chief Finan
cial Officer Amy Smith explained in light of more
drastic cuts in neighboring counties, Pickens
2023 Net Tax Digest
totals compared
Pickens $2,042,848,962
Gilmer $2,253,859,145
Dawson $2,609,652,532
Fannin $2,874,290,988
Figures supplied by Pickens School System
growth has been outpaced by all surrounding
counties.
At a called meeting, the board unanimously
approved moving forward with a millage rate of
12.4, down from 12.9 mils last year and well
down from the 15.33 rate they used in 2018.
Even with the cut in the rate, the schools are
projected to collect $25,331,327 from local prop
erty and vehicle taxes. The property tax collec
tions are up $2,142,080 over last year. Smith
calculated the overall growth in the tax values of
county at 13.6 percent.
The property taxes are part of a FY24 General
Fund budget of $55,749,521. This is up from the
Final FY23 General Fund budget $52,599,709.
[For those unfamiliar Georgia’s property tax
system, the millage (tax) rate is applied to the net
digest, which is loosely defined as all taxable
property in the county - minus exemptions given
by the state. When a county sees growth like Pick-
See School Tax on 10A
Candidates
come out of
woodwork
for Jasper
city races
4-Hers hope to be next great chefs
with Ga. Food Nutrition Challenge
No challengers
means no
election in
Talking Rock
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
A surprisingly large number of
candidates qualified in local munici
pal races, which will be on the ballot
this November.
In Jasper, two candidates quali
fied to run for mayor. Current Jasper
Mayor Steve Lawrence announced
he will not seek reelection because of
a recent cancer diagnosis.
One Jasper city council post has a
crowded field of four candidates,
more than any local seat in recent
history.
In addition to the three Nelson
council incumbents who qualified,
three other candidates qualified in
that race. Elections in the city of Nel
son are at-large, meaning the top
three vote-getters take office because
there are three council seats up for
election.
The election for Talking Rock
was cancelled because all candidates
who qualified are running unop
posed.
Only residents of Jasper and Nel
son city limits will be able vote on
Election Day November 7.
The following candidates quali
fied at the Pickens County Elections
& Registration Office last week
(Profession and number of years
the candidate has resided in Pick
ens County, as listed on the quali
fying application, follow the
name):
Refuge in Jesus may operate
as church, not house homeless
City of Jasper
Mayor- Jasper City Council mem
ber Kirk Raffield (Sales/30 years in
Pickens County) and Lora Erdman
(Manager of Family Dollar and For
est Glenn Apartments/32)
City Council Post 3 - Brandon
Hannah (Kaiser Workforce Health
Consultant/5)
City Council Post 4 - Incumbent
James A. “Jim” Looney (Retired/40)
and Dorian Gibson (Retired/10)
City Council Post 5 - Incumbent
John B. Foust (Ga. Power Engi
neer/33) Bethsadia Fernandez (True
South Roofing and Exteriors
LLC/6), Anthony W. Young II
(Sales/27), and Shirley Mitchell (Not
Listed/10).
Foust currently serves as the Post
3 council member but registered to
run in Post 5.
City of Nelson
City Council - Incumbents Krissy
MacNeill (Landscaper/24), Nathan
Hamby (Mechanic/36), and David
Hamby (Grader/59), as well as chal
lengers John Ahlberg (Rector/15),
See Qualifying on 10A
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
In comments made by Refuge in
Jesus and county leaders after a
hearing in Pickens courts last week,
it appears the Refuge In Jesus
homeless shelter is making moves
to no longer house the homeless
and to operate as a church instead.
“We may be in the process of
changing, yes,” Stephen Lovell of
Refuge in Jesus told the Progress.
“We can maybe better serve Pick
ens County as a church and not
house overnight guests.”
Lovell would not go into other
details about Refuge in Jesus’ future
plans, but said he would be able to
discuss after “we get things zeroed
in with the county.”
The hearing was the most recent
development in a long and tumul
tuous history of Refuge in Jesus
Inc., which found itself at the center
of legal disputes with the city of
Jasper and Pickens County govern
ment.
The Pickens County Sheriffs’
Office evicted shelter residents out
of a downtown Jasper location in
April
See Shelter on 10A
Foodie Friends - (l-rj Addison Adgate, Audrey Adgate, Isabelle Gill, Katelyn Gill will soon find out if
their Fiesta Salad will win over judges to advance them in 4-H competition.
Submitted by Pickens County Extension staff
A team of Pickens County 4-Hers decided to take
on The Georgia 4-H Food Nutrition Challenge.
This contest is a fun and educational event in which
teams of youth work together to create a dish using a
list of secret ingredients, similar to the TV show
Chopped.
They also prepare and present nutrition, food prepa
ration, and food safety information along with their
dish.
First, the Pickens County 4-Hers had to compete in
the district qualifying competition held virtually to de
termine which teams will compete in the state Food
Challenge competition.
The Food Challenge District Video Competition is
designed to help teams demonstrate many of the skills
teams practice for a live Food Challenge competition.
The state contest is live and in-person later in Sep
tember.
Teams received a list of secret ingredients and a list
of pantry ingredients that See Nutrjtjon Qn 1QA
The controversial and winding history of Refuge in Jesus, Inc. took another turn recently when leaders
said they might operate as a church instead of a homeless shelter. Leaders hit numerous road blocks over
the years trying to run a shelter, first in downtown Jasper and now at the proposed location on Martin Road
off Hwy. 515 that they have leased since earlier this year.
The offroad
festival runs
Thursday
through
Sunday
Schedule 6A
Politics
Bethsadia
Fernandez
announces
for Jasper
council
Page 7A
Obituaries 11A
• Judy Bryan
• Linda Causseaux
• Pat Corrales
• Edna Garmon
• Faye Hitt
• Henry Hollensbe
• Billy McPherson
• Timothy Nowell
• Charles
Opdenhoff
• Doug Owen
• Jimmy Roberts Sr.
• Connie Van
Hoose
• Donald West
• John Worcester
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
pickensprogress.com
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