About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Midweek Edition - June 3-4, 2020 5A ★ Gainesville to vote on budget with rolled back tax rate June 16 BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com No one spoke at a public hearing on Gainesville’s proposed budget Tuesday, June 2. The proposed budget includes a rolled back property tax rate to accommodate for higher property assessments. The rollback millage rate is the average rate a city property owner would need in order to avoid a higher tax bill because of an increased assessment value. Taxpayers could still receive higher or lower bills, depending on their assessments. The millage rate would be rolled back from 3.322 mills to 3.241 mills, an adjustment from the proposed 3.250 mills announced at a work session May 28. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value. The proposed $28.8 million budget is 9.8% lower than the current year’s budget. It accounts for an expected 12% overall decline in revenues due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pan demic, including a 53.8 % decrease in title ad valorem tax revenues and a 44.9% decrease in revenue from fines, fees and forfeitures. It is the city’s current policy to keep three months of reserve funds on hand, but the budget includes a proposal to instead keep 2.7 months of reserve funds. The budget includes capital proj ects such as roadway improvements, replacing police vehicles, police and fire radio upgrades and a new parking deck near the Gainesville branch of the Hall County Library System. The city also plans a redesign of the intersection of Memorial Park Drive and Old Flowery Branch Road. The Council will vote on the budget on June 16. The city’s fiscal year restarts July 1. The budget is available on the city website, and the budget presentation is included in the video of Tuesday’s meeting posted on the city government’s Facebook page. LCA plans to reopen in August BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Lanier Christian Acad emy will open as sched uled for the fall 2020 semester on Aug. 7 “unless it is illegal to do so” accord ing to an announcement from Lanier Christian Academy head of school Dwayne Daniels. “We will modify and adjust our daily routines, procedures, and protocols to promote student and staff wellness,” Daniels said in the announcement. The announcement mentions that Lanier Christian Academy’s student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1 makes the school better able to accommo date for social distancing measures, which should make the transition back to traditional learning an easy one to make for Lanier Christian Academy students. More details and spe cific steps for reopening will be provided as the Aug. 7 reopening date draws closer. State releases guidance on safely returning to school in the fall BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Georgia schools received guidance from the state on how to safely reopen in the fall Monday via a document released by the Georgia departments of educa tion and public health titled “Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools.” The document provides a tiered approach to reopening, with clear steps that are “built upon the guidance and recommendation of health officials.” The plan is not mandatory, as all school districts retain the independent ability to open how they see fit, but it provides guidance for school leaders uncertain of the best measures to take. Steps to be taken will differ from location to location, based on the level of spread in an individual community, ranging from “substantial spread” to “minimal/moderate spread” to “low/ nospread.” In areas of substantial spread, the state advises that schools remain closed and stick with remote learning until the community in question moves to “mini mal/moderate spread.” At that stage, schools can either open for traditional learning while taking “intensive mitigation strategies” or open in a hybrid fashion that could involve a staggered approach to attending schools where only half the students would be in a physical classroom at a time on an alternative schedule. “Intensive mitigation strategies” involve many precautionary measures also recommended to recently reopened businesses, such as disinfecting all fre quently touched objects and surfaces after every use and posting signage around schools communicating the best ways to stop the spread of COVID-19. The document recommends turning off water fountains and providing bottled water for students, as well as checking up on ventilation systems to make sure they are increasing the circulation of outdoor air as much as possible. It also advises that as long as a school is in an area of “minimal/moderate spread” that students and faculty have their temperatures taken before entering the school building and that schools desig nate flow paths in hallways to prevent student mixing as much as possible. As soon as an area progresses to “low/ no spread,” schools are advised to open back up to traditional learning while keeping preventative practices — such as having hand sanitizer constantly avail able to students and keeping up signage on how to slow the spread of the virus — in place. At all levels of infection, the state rec ommends that schools remain in com munication with DPH health officials. 2 suspects arrested in death of retired Gwinnett deputy Two men suspected in the Jan. 8 shooting of a retired Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office deputy were taken into custody Tuesday, June 2. Tavares Norah, 25, turned himself in around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, and Prince Robertson, 27, was arrested in unincor porated Lawrenceville after 3 p.m. the same day. Gwinnett County Police said the two men were wanted for armed robbery and murder involving Felix Cosme, 63, of Dac- ula, who was shot at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store at 2786 Hamilton Mill Road There were two employ- t] ees working the evening hours of Jan. 8. A female employee was outside helping a customer when she noticed a black man seated in a vehicle in the parking lot, police said. Based on the preliminary investigation, the man fol lowed the employee back k i Robertson inside when she was done with the customer. Once they were inside, the sus pect asked her to open the cash drawer, police said. Cosme, the second employee, walked out from the back of the store. He attempted to pull his weapon when he was shot by the suspect, police said. Cosme died at the scene. Times staff reports Free COVID-19 testing June 6 in Gainesville The Georgia Depart ment of Public Health will offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing at J&J Foods in Gainesville on Saturday, June 6. The testing event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Coupons for J&J Foods will also be given out. J&J Foods is located at 1075 Jesse Jewell Park way Southwest in Gaines ville. Call 770-531-5600 to schedule an appointment for testing. Megan Reed Hall County proposes budget with rollback property tax rate Hall County is proposing a budget with the rollback property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2021, which will begin July 1. The rollback millage rate is the rate an average prop erty owner would need in order to avoid a higher tax bill due to an increased property assessment. Property own ers could see higher or lower tax bills, depending on their assessments. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value. The current general fund millage rate is 5.098 mills. “As the board continues to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on our community, the commission also believes it is prudent to scale back its FY 2021 spending plan in anticipation of a potential reduction in revenues,” Hall County Administrator Jock Connell said in a state ment. “The members of the board have worked diligently to achieve a lower millage rate even in the midst of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.” The Hall County Board of Commissioners will hear details and hold a public hearing at a 6 p.m. meeting Thursday, June 11. Although the meeting will be streamed online, it will also be open to the public at the Hall County Government Center, with social distancing measures in place. Commissioners will vote on the budget Thursday, June 25. People can watch a live stream of the meetings on the county website, and to comment during a public hearing, they can join the meeting remotely through the county’s online meetings webpage or call 770-718-2327. Compiled from Hall County Government press release BRASELTON ■ Continued from 1A no peace”, “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “White silence is violence” among others. Cars passing by frequently honked their support drawing cheers and reinvigorated chanting from the participants. The protest was organized by Braselton natives and Georgia State University students Anslee Stephens and Dalton Ferrell, who said Astin’s theme of together ness was exactly why they decided to get involved in the movement. “I think it’s nice to bring a small community together and stand with each other and for each other,” Stephens said. “Especially during times like this.” Abeni Harris, who attended the protest while holding a sign reading “Our names shouldn’t be trending” said she wanted to get involved in protesting because police brutality and racism against black people in the United States has been an issue for far too long. She said incidents like the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapo lis police officer had simply become too numerous for her to continue staying quiet about it. “If nobody is going to stand up while it’s happening, some body else needs to be out here for it,” she said. “He doesn’t have a voice anymore. Some body needs to be that voice for him.” Makaylin Moore said he wanted to join the protest because he has been a victim of systemic racism himself. Moore said police officers drew their weapons on him at a gas station when they confused him for an at-large suspect of a crime he did not commit. While he was unharmed from the incident, Moore said many other black men and women around the country have not been so lucky in similar encounters. “They’re doing this on cam era, and they don’t even care about it,” he said. “I just don’t see how people would think that it’s regular that people are dying on camera.” Angela Jackson, who is white, attended the event with her four black children. Jackson, who carried a sign reading “My kids’ lives matter” said she believes it’s important for people of all races to get involved. “It’s important because it impacts my children, it impacts their friends and it impacts our community,” she said. “Honestly it’s a human ity issue.” The message the Braselton community was trying to send with the protest was summed up simply and concisely by Alexia Acuna, who spoke with passion to the protesters at the gathering’s participa tion peak. “We can no longer turn a blind eye to this,” she said. “We have to speak up now.” HB 545 is Just like taking our guns away' "I am a Georgia farmer, the wife of a Georgia farmer, the mother of Georgia farmers and the grandmother of future Georgia farmers. I am a constitutional conservative. This is why I strongly oppose House Bill 545 and support the existing Right to Farm Law that has worked well for more than 30 years. HB 545 will take away the right of farmers and rural landowners to stop damage to their farms and quality of life. This is just like taking away our quns" Ms. Marjie McRee of Smithville, GA Call your senator and tell him that only a NO vote is acceptable Senator Butch Miller 404-656-6758 Paid for by: Friends and Supporters of Marjie McRee A great rate from the Best Bank in the Sc Competitive checking and savings offerings and great customer service contribute to our recognition as Money's Best Bank in the South. 1 To celebrate, we are offering these great rates. 13 Month CD or IRA CD Special 24 Month CD or IRA CD Special Open an account today at ozk.com or in one of our branches.** <> Bank OZK *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective as of the publication date. $1,000 minimum deposit to open and is required to earn stated APY. Penalty for early withdrawal. IRA CD is subject to eligibility requirements. Offer not available to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Offer good in Oakwood, GA only. Fees could reduce earnings. Offer subject to change without notice. **IRA CD must be opened in person and cannot be opened online. 1 Money® selected Bank OZK the Best Bank in the South, 2019-2020. MEMBER FDIC
