Newspaper Page Text
2A ®[)£ l)fra(ti <©a?£tt£ Tuesday, June 8,2021
Man who allegedly shot
girlfriend still on the run
A 45-year-
old man who
allegedly shot
his estranged
wife at her
home in a local
trailer park
March 18 is
still on the run.
Investigators
are still trying
to locate Alvis
Thomas who authorities
say should be consid
ered armed and danger
ous.
Thomas allegedly
went to the trailer locat
ed at Lot 22 in Bedsole’s
Trailer Park at 12:45
a.m. and tore an air
conditioning unit out of
a window to get inside.
An alterca
tion ensued
and Christian
Thomas was
shot in the
right shoulder
with her own
Ruger 9 m.m.
handgun.
A man
who was
with Thomas,
Demarco Marked Price
of Stockbridge, fled to
a nearby trailer and
called for help. He
was unhurt. Christian
Thomas has recovered.
If you have any
knowledge regarding
the whereabouts of
Alvis Thomas, call the
LCSO at 770.358.5159.
THOMAS
Dallas Johnson will be
new RSCA coach
Coach
Dallas John
son will be
joining Rock
Springs
Christian
Academy
this summer.
Before his
arrival, he
worked with
in strength
and condi
tioning programs at Mis
sissippi State Univer
sity, Liberty University,
North Carolina State
University, Louisburg
College, and Georgia
Southern University. He
has experience train
ing athletes in baseball,
basketball, beach vol
leyball, cross-country,
equestrian, football,
golf, hockey, soccer,
softball, swimming,
tennis, track, volleyball,
and wrestling. He holds
a master’s degree in
Human Performance:
Strength and Condition
ing.
“1 want to
thank Rock
Springs Chris
tian Academy
for giving me
this fantastic
opportunity
to make an
impact on
the lives of
students and
their families.
1 am excited to join the
incredible staff and
help grow students’ and
student-athletes’ health
and physical fitness,” he
said.
“My goal is to help
give students the skills,
knowledge, and disci
pline to live strong and
healthy lives. 1 look
forward to delivering
science-driven human
performance training
principles, while glorify
ing Jesus Christ’s name
in all that we do. Go
Eagles!”
JOHNSON
The county commission is doing due diligence on a possible purchase of the old Fred’s building to house various county
operations.
County commissioners eye facility options
FROM PAGE ONE
the costs.
The Fred’s building
was built in 2003-2004
making it 80 years young
er than the current ad
ministration building in
the old Thomaston Street
barracks which was built
in 1924. The condition
of that 9,375 square foot
building is declining and
its foundation is sinking,
making it untenable for
the long haul.
Under the initial con
cept, the Fred’s building
would eventually house
the county’s
administra
tive offices
and meeting
room, the
elections
board (and
election
equipment
storage), the
tax assessors
office, the tax
commission
er’s office, the planning
and development office
and the county extension
office.
The Emergency Man
agement Agency would
move to the current tax
commissioner’s office on
Hwy. 36 West at Country
Kitchen Road and be
joined there by the E911
Center, which is currently
housed in the jail build
ing. With the main fire
station next door, that
would create a public
safety operations center.
Once the new rec
reation gym, a current
SPLOST project
which is in the
planning stages
now, is built and
county exten
sion relocated,
the county could
raze the old
Barnesville Acad
emy building and
gym which are
near uninhabitable at
present. Those buildings
date back to 1950.
The current adminis
trative building could be
leased to DFCS and the
Soil & Water Conserva
tion District or sold to a
developer.
The old
First Feder
al building,
adjacent to
the United
Bank drive-
thru op
eration off
Greenwood
Street, is
also owned
by the
county. Until recently,
it was occupied by the
drug court operation.
That building could
be sold with United Bank
being mentioned as a
possible buyer.
The commissioners
were in general agree
ment facilities need to be
addressed. “It is clear we
have to do something.
Our buildings are old
plus we are outgrowing
them,” noted commis
sioner Nancy Thrash
who suggested insurance
costs be figured into the
scenario.
THE MONEY:
The com
missioners
discussed a
lease purchase
program avail
able via ACCG
through which
the county
could borrow $3
million over 10
years at an interest rate
of two percent.
Townsend noted the
county could
use its fund
balance for a
down payment
and likely still
not have to
use its TAN
line of credit.
Townsend was
lauded for his
tightening up
of the county’s
finances which
has almost eliminated
the need for TAN funds.
Due to skyrocketing
home prices and the re
sultant tax assessments
which, by state statute,
must mirror them, the
county could see an
increase in tax revenues
of $124 million during
the next fiscal year. “The
biggest increase 1 have
ever seen is about $21
million,” Townsend said
of the potential windfall.
Both the county, its
municipalities and the
school board are also
seeing record incomes
from the various local
option sales taxes due to
population growth and
the tax stream from on
line sales which opened
up, also via state statute,
in the last two to three
years.
The county currently
has little debt. It owes
some money on a fire
truck but SPLOST is
paying that off. The only
current capital project
is new windows for the
courthouse. That effort
has been delayed due
to the ongoing materials
shortage. Townsend said
he expects
that shortage
to ease in the
fall.
The new
gym and the
animal shelter
are current
SPLOST
projects with
animal shelter
construction
buoyed by
an ongoing fund drive by
volunteers. The shelter
is in the initial design
stages at present.
THE TAXPAYER:
Property owners have
been hit hard by reas
sessments but relief is on
the way for them.
“We need to look at
property tax relief for
our taxpayers when we
do the budget. 1 don’t
know if that would be a
rollback or how it would
come about,” Thrash
noted.
“When the digest num
bers come in later this
month, our millage rate
will go down. The school
board will probably low
er its millage rate, too,”
Townsend concluded.
“We need to look at
property tax relief for
our taxpayers when
we do the budget.
I don’t know if that
would be a rollback
or how it would come
about, ”
NANCY THRASH
THRASH
“When the digest
numbers come in
later this month,
our millage rate
will go down. The
school board will
probably lower its
millage rate, too, ”
SEAN TOWNSEND
Midway Baptist Church
158 City Pond Rd. • Pastor Rev. Charles Johnson
JMb® <M® SsSXtMtMIdsfl
JEREMIAH 29:13
NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS:
Lamar County, along with many other counties in Georgia are experiencing what can
only be described as an “inflated” real estate market. The combination of historically
low interest rates, with historically high construction costs, are driving home sales
to an all-time high. Unfortunately, if there are enough sales within the county that
are a certain percentage higher than the Assessors values, the Georgia State Audit
Department mandates an increase in property values. This is what has happened in
Lamar County. Current 2020 sales have indicated that Lamar County was well below
the accepted sales ratio range for the Audit Department. While an increase in property
values is probable, a representative from Norman Appraisal Services will be available
to discuss individual properties with taxpayers. A sales package will be provided to
taxpayers upon request, containing sales throughout Lamar County of like properties.
The package will be provided to show how low Lamar County Residential property
values were last year compared to current year sales. The amount of increase to each
property, while significant, should not be basis for appeals, but the value of your home,
compared to sales within Lamar County. The increase to property values in Lamar
County are based solely on current market adjustments and have nothing to do with
taxes or need to increase revenue.
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