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The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Weekend Edition - June 6-7, 2020 7A
As local virus
cases decline,
gatherings could
affect numbers
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
Hall County’s COVID-19 cases remain relatively high in
the state, with 2,508 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, June
3, making Hall the fifth highest in raw numbers and 15th
highest in per capita numbers.
The Northeast Georgia Health System was treating 67
patients at its facilities Wednesday, and 31% of the system’s
ventilators were in use, according to its data. As of Wednes
day, 728 COVID-19 patients had been discharged from treat
ment, and 85 had died.
NGHS has seen a decline in COVID-19 patients over the
past month. On May 1, the system was treating 146 COVID-
19 patients. On May 15, that number was 95. Numbers are
updated on the NGHS website each weekday.
However, with recent large gatherings in the area for pro
tests and rallies, along with the Memorial Day holiday, those
numbers could again increase.
“The incubation period for COVID-19 can range from 2 to
14 days, with most patients seeing symptoms by 5 days after
exposure,” Dr. Supriya Mannepalli, chair of Northeast Geor
gia Medical Center’s Infection Prevention & Control Com
mittee, said in a statement. “Because of that, we will need
to monitor the next few weeks very closely and we still urge
everyone to wear a mask any time they’re out in public.”
Hundreds attended protests in downtown Gainesville on
the weekend of May 30-31. Following the killing of George
Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, large protests have
been held in cities worldwide to call attention to the issues of
racism and police violence.
Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the Department
of Public Health, said at a press conference Tuesday the
department would set up testing sites in Atlanta so those who
attended protests could be tested for the virus. She also said
testing would be made available for first responders, includ
ing the Atlanta police and fire departments, Georgia State
Patrol and the Georgia National Guard.
The Georgia Department of Public Health is now updating
its COVID-19 status report once daily at 3 p.m. to allow time
for processing and validating cases.
Local Department of Public Health spokesman Dave
Palmer said testing sites in Hall have been able to handle
the demand, but if demand increases, current locations can
ramp up operations. Over the past month, six free testing
events hosted by the department have served 2,596 people,
he said. The next free testing event will be Saturday, June 6,
at J&J Foods on Jesse Jewell Parkway.
Toomey said “we want to ensure that the pandemic
doesn’t spread because of this.”
“This situation is no different than any other situation we
have talked about. When you have this many people gath
ered together in close proximity, you run the risk of viral
transmission,” Toomey said. “I think you add to that the fact
that individuals have come from out of state, where they
maybe have even higher rates of infection and may be bring
ing it into our state and transmitting it.”
Plane crashes in rural Ga.;
2 children among 5 dead
EATONTON — A small
plane crashed Friday in
rural Georgia, killing all
five on board, including four
members of a Florida fam
ily who were traveling to a
funeral in Indiana.
Putnam County Sheriff
Howard Sills told local news
outlets no one survived the
afternoon crash about 100
miles (161 kilometers) south
east of Atlanta.
Sills identified the vic
tims as Larry Ray Pruitt,
67, of Morriston, Florida;
Shawn Charles Lamont,
41, of Gainesville, Florida;
his wife Jody Rae Lamont,
43; and their two children,
6-year-old Jayce and 4-year-
old Alice.
The Federal Aviation
Administration said the
Piper PA31-T was flying
from Williston, Florida, to
Newcastle, Indiana.
Tracy Carter, a Milled-
geville resident, told The
Union-Recorder he saw a
plane circling the area and
catch fire. Parts of the plane
flew off and landed in the
nearby field and he said he
heard a loud boom.
Emergency crews
responded, putting out
flames in a wooded area.
The FAA and the National
Transportation Safety Board
will investigate.
Associated Press
Marshal’s Office investigating
fire that destroyed workshop
Photo courtesy Hall County Fire Services
A fire at 5707 Holiday Road “destroyed a workshop and several older model vehicles,”
according to a news release from Hall County Fire Services division chief Zach Brackett
June 5.
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.
com
The Hall County Fire
Marshal’s Office is looking
for help regarding a suspi
cious May 16 fire in South
Hall.
The fire at 5707 Holiday
Road “destroyed a work
shop and several older
model vehicles,” accord
ing to a news release from
Hall County Fire Ser
vices division chief Zach
Brackett.
Georgia Arson Control
is offering a reward up
to $10,000 for informa
tion leading to an arrest
and conviction for those
responsible.
Tips can be reported at
1-800-282-5804.
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NOTICE TO THE CITY OF GAINESVILLE TAXPAYERS
The Gainesville City governing authority does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the Gainesville Justice
Center, Municipal Court Room, on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 5:30 p.m., and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32 does hereby publish
the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past 5 years.
CITY OF GAINESVILLE CURRENT 2020 TAX DIGEST AND 5-YEAR HISTORY
CITY OF GAINESVILLE
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Real and Personal Property
5,201,195,033
5,314,867,383
5,785,528,256
6,360,655,830
6,773,562,201
7,383,639,921
Motor Vehicles
122,902,325
41,786,791
65,383,400
51,130,100
42,772,000
41,339,925
Mobile Homes
1,510
1,510
1,510
1,510
1,510
22,755
Timber - 100%
354,220
0
0
0
0
0
Heavy Duty Equipment
0
41,058
43,593
131,213
111,938
126,450
GROSS DIGEST
5,324,453,088
5,356,696,742
5,850,956,759
6,411,918,653
6,816,447,649
7,425,129,051
Less: Exempt Properties
1,105,368,685
1,106,359,708
1,127,749,910
1,175,929,635
1,226,721,090
1,284,893,675
NET DIGEST
4,219,084,403
4,250,337,034
4,723,206,849
5,235,989,018
5,589,726,559
6,140,235,376
Less: M & O Exemptions
287,493,785
277,120,558
330,204,965
368,040,063
369,714,168
439,046,845
NET M & O DIGEST
3,931,590,618
3,973,216,476
4,393,001,884
4,867,948,955
5,220,012,391
5,701,188,531
Gross M & O Millage
4.150
4.170
3.983
2.422
2.382
2.280
Less: Rollbacks
1.170
1.190
1.119
1.058
1.060
1.040
NET M & O MILLAGE
2.980
2.980
2.864
1.364
1.322
1.240
General Government
1.630
1.630
1.545
0.795
0.771
0.730
Parks & Recreation
0.750
0.750
0.750
0.000
0.000
0.000
Debt Service
0.600
0.600
0.569
0.569
0.551
0.510
NET M & O MILLAGE BY ENTITY
2.980
2.980
2.864
1.364
1.322
1.240
Net Taxes Levied
11,716,140
11,840,185
12,581,557
6,639,882
6,900,856
7,069,474
Net Taxes $ Increase
1,470,629
124,045
741,372
(5,941,675)
260,974
168,617
Net Taxes % Increase
14.35%
1.06%
6.26%
-47.23%
3.93%
2.44%
Parks & Recreation
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.750
0.750
0.750
Fire Services
0.000
0.000
0.000
1.250
1.250
1.250
SPECIAL DISTRICTS
0.000
0.000
0.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
Note: On July 1, 2018, Parks and Recreation, along with Fire Services, became a special district. As with prior years, the millage rate for the School
System, including school related debt service, is established by the Gainesville Board of Education.
