Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 — Page 3
BURKE
COUNTY'S
FIVE-DAY
FORECAST
SATURDAY 1
SUNDAY
Mostly Sunny
Sunny
o
CM
CO
56°
86159°
Forecast of the National Weather Service
Girard receives state grant
WHAT’S NEXT?
The State of Georgia has
awarded the town of Girard
$142,417 for an emergency
generator and liquid propane
tank.
Girard, with an estimated
population of 200, serves 100
water customers. However,
there are five RV parks that are
not included in the population
with an occupancy of at least
200 people at all times. The
RV parks are not metered per
space rather are served on 2"
meters. Girard applied for
funds to purchase and install
a permanent emergency gen
erator to be installed at their
primary drinking water well
with a liquid propane tank for
fuel supply.
The objective of the gen
erator addition is to provide
emergency power supply when
needed at the primary drinking
water well, the most critical in
frastructure component needed
to ensure residents have the
ability to wash their hands and
maintain hygiene during an
emergency. If power is out, the
generator would automatically
start and residents would not
be out of water.
In November 2018, Burke
County was included in the
FEMA-4400-DR, Georgia
Disaster Declaration as a result
of Hurricane Michael. In July
2021, the County was included
in the State of Emergency due
to potential effects caused by
Tropical Storm Elsa. Without
the generator, the town of Gi
rard is vulnerable to outages
and interrupted water service
during severe weather events.
The goal of the project is to
makes it clear that because
Lemons claims a homestead
exemption in Laurens County,
he is considered to be a resi
dent of that county.
“The specific address in
the county or municipality in
which a person has declared
a homestead exemption, if a
homestead exemption has been
claimed, shall be deemed the
person’s residence address; and
for voter registration pur
poses, the board of registrars
and, for candidacy residency
purposes, the Secretary of
State, election superintendent,
or hearing officer may consider
evidence of where the person
receives significant mail such
as personal bills and any other
evidence that indicates where
the person resides,’ the code
states.
Citizens wishing to chal
lenge Lemons’ Burke County
voter registration status should
contact the Burke County
Board of Elections.
Inquiries to Midville City
Attorney John Levis went un
answered. An email inquiry to
Elections Supervisor Fran Wat
son also received no response.
Meanwhile, the rumor mill
is working overtime as the
race for a new Midville mayor
takes place.
A photo of opposing candi
date Pat Dye posted on Face-
book has some citizens won
dering if he was involved in
Controversy
The city’s charter requires
that candidates have been
residents for at least one year
and be eligible to vote in the
municipal elections. Lemons
pointed out during a phone in
terview Monday, that although
he and his wife are not sepa
rated, they reside in different
counties. He said he lives full
time in the camper.
“I am an official resident of
Midville,” Lemons said. “I
do all of my business in Burke
County.”
Midville Elections Super
visor Fran Watson qualified
Lemons’ candidacy for the
race. Citizens wishing to chal
lenge that decision would need
to file a complaint with the
Investigative Division of the
Secretary of State’s Office.
The Burke County Board of
Elections Director Beau Gunn
says his department would
only oversee Lemons’ voter
registration status and has no
authority over his run for office
in Midville.
Although Lemons continues
to be allowed to run for mayor,,
his homestead exemption may
be in jeopardy.
A spokesperson in Laurens
County confirmed Tuesday
that Lemons’ homestead ex
emption is under review with
the Tax Assessor’s office.
Lemons’ admission that he
resides in Burke County full
time and is a resident thereof,
is in contrast to the require
ments that must be met to claim
the homestead exemption in
another county.
According to the Georgia
Department of Revenue’s web
site, “To be granted a home
stead exemption: A person
must actually occupy the home,
and the home is considered
their legal residence for all
purposes.”
“The home of each resident
of Georgia that is actually oc
cupied and used as the primary
residence by the owner may be
granted a $2,000 exemption
from county and school taxes
except for school taxes levied
by municipalities and except
to pay interest on and to retire
bonded indebtedness,” the
website reads.
Additionally, State Repre
sentative Gloria Frazier looked
to the General Assembly’s
Deputy Legislative Counsel,
Paul Higbee, for direction on
the question of Lemons’ abil
ity to meet the requirement of
running for office in Burke
County.
According to Georgia Code
Section 21-2-217: in determin
ing the residence of a person
desiring to register to vote or
to qualify to run for elective of-
hce, “the residence of any per
son shall be held to be in that
place in which such person’s
habitation is hxed, without any
present intention of removing
therefrom.”
Furthermore, the Code
Thursday, March 3
Burke County Retired Educators Association will meet at 3
p.m. at Mt. Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church on West
Seventh Street. Members are required to wear a mask.
Clements
Continued from front
provide continuous water sup
ply and fire protection. The
project will benefit all water
customers. Girard requested
$142,417 of federal grant funds
and matching with $24,283 lo
cal funds, which is 14.57% of
the Local ARPA funds, for a
total project cost of $166,700.
With a small number of cus
tomers and median household
income of $23,625.00, the
grant funds will assist with the
large expenditure to ensure
the critical infrastructure is in
operation at all times.
Continued from front
the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of
the Capitol, in which a mob of
more than 2,000 Donald Trump
supporters attacked the build
ing in Washington, D.C. Dye
put the rumor to rest Monday
in a phone interview. Although
he admits attending the rally,
he says he did not participate
in the attack on the Capitol
building.
“I was a great distance away
from the building,” he said.
together is trust. They don’t
worry about the other one
making bad business decisions
or running off with the money.
“We have each other’s back,”
she said.
Rhonda admits there are
times that she has jokingly
asked her husband to fire her
and send her home. He refuses.
“Owning a small business,
especially in Waynesboro, is
very challenging,” she said
earnestly. “You don’t have
the market here, it’s a rural
community, so there is not a
lot of business and that can be
difficult.”
Even so, running the busi
ness together is a decision the
couple does not regret.
“I have no desire to get rid
of him,” Rhonda said. “Hope
fully, he has no desire to get
rid of me.”
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629 Shadrack St.
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A petition for zoning amendment has been filed with the Burke
County Board of Zoning Appeals, requesting the zoning of this prop
erty: 1903 Winter Road, Blythe, GA 30805. Map/Parcel: 054-001
(Approx 10-acre portion be changed from zone A-l to zone 1-1.
A public hearing will be held at The Burke County Court House,
located at 602 North Liberty St. Waynesboro GA. 30830 on March
22, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. All those in favor of or objecting to this peti
tion should be present to voice their support or objection. For more
information call
(706) 554-8758
Burke County Planning Commission
DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW
■■■■CROSSWORD ■■■■
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A petition has been filed with the Burke County Palnning commis
sion, requesting a Variance of the Burke County Land Debelopment
Code for this property. Map/Parcel: 028-028E, 526 Templetom Cr.,
Hephzibah, GA 30815. A public hearing will be held at The Burke
County Court House, located at 602 North Liberty St. Waynesboro
GA. 30830 on March 22,2022 at 7:00 p.m. All those in favor of or
objecting to this petition should be present to voice their support or
objection. For more information call
(706) 554-8758
Burke County Planning Commission
DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW
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9 ACROSS
2nd March
i)
5)
9)
14)
15)
16)
17)
20)
21)
22)
25)
26)
28)
32)
37)
38)
"Cinderella" event
Beat one's (jabber)
Jack Horner's fruits
Opera tenor's tune
Cast-of-thousands film
Like Halloween sounds
The IT department
manages it
Registers register them
Foot-activated devices
Stagnation
Grig, when grown
Eyeball-bending drawings
Till contents
One in agreement
Steak condiment
Question upon meeting a
stranger
41) "... with in sight"
42) Gross out
43) Installs a ready-made lawn
44) Sounds the bells
46) "As to"
47) Seemingly without end
53) Extremely delicate, as
beauty
58) Like many marsh plants
59) Not what it once was
62) Sheds tears
63) Fiendish or wicked
64) Do a lawn job
65) "Faster!"
66) Melon protector
67) Changes color, in a way
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DOWN
1) Low guys at the opera
2) Indo-European
3) Cotton thread used for hosiery
4) Procrastinator's promise
5) Valuable stone
6) and downs
7) Atomizer output
8) Basket maker?
9) "She loves me" decider
10) More than risque
11) Caspian Sea tributary
12) Deep mud
13) Calls, in poker
18) Maximal suffix
19) Yard divisions
23) Minute amount
24) Impersonator
27) Building used for sports
28) Upscale eatery
29) Luminous surrounding
30) Dundee native
31) Deep red blood pigment
32) Grain beards
33) "Vamoose!"
34) Watermelon discard
35) "East" or "west" endings
36) Flanders of animation
37) Pension starter?
39) Harvard rival
40) Topple from power
44) Jury member, essentially
45) Pencil attachment
46) Commonplace, as writing
48) Bungle up
49) Didn't stay divorced
50) Poverty-stricken
51) "Time is money," e.g.
52) Harps' older relatives
53) Make impressions?
54) Drive-
55) Elder son, often
56) Still-life pitcher
57) Name on many jeans' labels
60) "Jaws" sighting
61) Like a centenarian
ANSWERS ON 8