LOCAL
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com
Midweek Edition-July 17-18, 2024 3A
Gainesville Schools adopts ’24-25 tax rate, budget
BY BEN ANDERSON
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
The Gainesville City school
board unanimously approved the
2024-25 fiscal year tax rate and
budget at Monday's meeting.
The tax rate was kept flat at 6.195
mills, which represents a 6.2%
increase in property taxes given the
rise in property values.
Assessed home values increased
by an average of 6.6% over last
year, according to the Hall County
Tax Assessor's Office. That's a
significant jump, but far less than
the 24.5% increase last year or the
16.6% increase in 2022.
In Gainesville, homes are
assessed at 100% of their value.
That means a home valued at
$400,000 would yield a tax bill of
$2,478.
‘As taxpayers, the board and I,
we feel what the community feels,
and so we never take these hear
ings or just the budget itself lightly,”
Superintendent Jeremy Williams
told The Times after the meeting.
“We always want to make sure
that we're being good stewards of
the funds, and so we feel the pinch
that everybody else is feeling, and
we hope that over the next couple
years we can remedy some of these
increased costs.”
The district says costs have
increased significantly over last
year, largely due to teacher raises
and a state-mandated increase in
health insurance premiums.
Here are some of the cost
increases:
• Health insurance increase:
$2.8 million
• $2,500 teacher pay raises: $2
million
• Teacher step increases: $1.8
million
• Special education: $1.1 million
Keeping employees that were
hired with COVID-19 relief funds:
$1.1 million
• 2.5% pay increase for classified
staff: $300,000
Williams said at a public hear
ing Monday morning that the dis
trict will use about $1.74 million of
its $20 million reserve fund in the
2024-25 fiscal year.
The school board has sought to
keep a robust reserve fund since the
2007-09 Great Recession.
To avoid further depleting the
district's reserve fund in the com
ing years, Williams said the district
will likely “absorb” some employee
positions. As employees leave or
retire, he explained, the district
will opt not to fill some of those
positions.
Salaries and benefits make up the
vast majority of the district's costs.
New Danny’s Donuts store open in Flowery Branch
Scott Rogers The Times
Inflated Imagination owner Jessica Macphee drops
off balloon decorations at Danny’s Donuts Tuesday,
July 16, for the shop’s newest location off Spout
Springs Road next to the Publix shopping center.
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Andy Nuon wants to dot the Hall
County area with Danny's Donuts stores.
Since opening his first store in Gaines
ville in 2016, new locations have opened
in Gainesville and Oakwood. And just
outside of Hall in Buford, another store
has opened off Buford Highway.
“I don't want other doughnut shops to
come in,” he said with a laugh.
His newest store opens Wednesday,
July 17, at 5866 Spout Springs Road,
Flowery Branch, just off Interstate 985
and next to a Publix-anchored shopping
center.
Customers can expect the same menu
as at other Danny's locations, including
the popular apple fritters.
In addition to a variety of “regular” and
“fancy” doughnuts, such as maple bacon
and strawberry cheese, Danny's will offer
croissants, bagels and biscuits - all baked
fresh in Nuon's kitchen.
The restaurant also will offer breakfast
burritos, coffee, cappuccinos, lattes and
smoothies.
Nuon had scouted the Flowery Branch
area for possible locations but couldn't
find a suitable location until a customer
told him that Little Caesar's had closed its
Spout Springs Road pizza shop.
The restaurant, with its drive-thru win
dow and access to busy Spout Springs
and 1-985, was ideal for the owner/baker.
“I love Flowery Branch,” Nuon said.
Danny's customers will notice some
changes to the former pizza shop. Nuon
created more room by moving a bath
room to the back of the store, removing a
wall and even raising the ceiling.
The restaurant will be open 5 a.m.-5
p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5
a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. But the hours may
change, possibly closing later, depending
on the flow of customers.
“Publix, during the evening, is busy,”
Nuon said.
Brenau names Goss VP of enrollment
Proposal pulled for hotel,
homes, eateries in Buford
BY BEN ANDERSON
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
Brenau University, a private
women's college based in Gaines
ville, has named Nathan Goss as
vice president of marketing and
enrollment management.
Goss had held the interim posi
tion until now, university spokes
woman Edie Rogers said in a news
release Monday.
As vice president, Goss will
oversee undergraduate and gradu
ate admissions for Brenau's four
campuses and online programs.
“He performed well as interim
and his hard work during this time
shows that he is the person best
suited for this role,” said Brenau
President David Barnett.
Goss has served in various
enrollment roles at Brenau since
March 2005 and has more than 24
years of experience in enrollment
management.
Before serving
as interim vice
president, he was
executive direc
tor for enrollment
partnerships
and assistant
vice president
of enrollment
management.
“After two decades at Brenau,
Nathan understands the character
istics of students who will be suc
cessful here, from the traditional
Women's College student to the
online graduate student,” Barnett
said.
Goss said he was “deeply hon
ored and humbled” to be named to
the position.
“The opportunity to continue to
collaborate with my university and
division colleagues in helping to
provide transformative educational
experiences for the disparate stu
dents we serve is exhilarating and a
welcomed significant responsibil
ity,” Goss said.
The university said Goss recently
helped to develop key recruiting
measures designed to reach inter
national students and traveled glob
ally to meet with those students.
Goss also has successfully nego
tiated multiple agreements with
the Technical College System of
Georgia and local private schools
to create new academic pathways
to Brenau.
Before joining Brenau, Goss was
an admissions representative for
DeVry University in Alpharetta.
A native of Georgia, he earned
his bachelor's degree in marketing
from Oklahoma City University.
He also earned his master's in busi
ness administration and post-grad
uate certification in marketing from
Brenau.
A developer is seeking to with
draw plans for a 110-room hotel,
four restaurants and more than 500
homes off Friendship Road/Ga.
347 near Buford in South Hall.
The Hall County Planning Com-
mision voted Monday, July 15, to
recommend granting Buford-based
Scott Puckett Inc.'s request con
cerning 74 acres at 4435 Ridge
Road, just off Ga. 347 and about a
mile from Interstate 985.
No reason was given at the meet
ing for the withdrawal, which now
goes before the Hall County Board
of Commissioners for action on
Aug. 22.
“I'm sure we'll probably see it in
some form at a future date,” Plan
ning Board Chairman Chris Bras
well said.
Puckett officials couldn't be
reached for comment.
No hotel or restaurant tenants
had been named in Hall County
planning documents. The hotel
would have been off Ridge and
Friendship roads and the restaurant
buildings would have had “rooftop
space, patios, outdoor seating and a
central plaza,” the documents say.
Otherwise, the development
would have featured a 275-unit
apartment complex, 212 four-
story townhomes and an amenities
area with swimming pools, tennis
courts, pickleball courts, parks,
mulched walking trails and a com
munity building.
Puckett was looking to rezone
the property from planned resi
dential development and suburban
shopping to planned commercial
development.
Jeff Gill
Teen killed in wreck on 1-85 near 1-985 split
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A 17-year-old was killed in a wreck Sun
day, July 14, on Interstate 85 near the Inter
state 985 split, though police have still not
released many details.
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's
Office identified the teenager as Gustavo
Parra-Villalobos, of Tucker.
Parra-Villalobos was killed in the area of
Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road and the 1-985
split.
Gwinnett County Police said two vehicles
were involved in the crash. Two people were
transported with non-life-threatening injuries,
police said.
No other details have been released by
police, as they said investigators are still
working the case.
FROM 1A
Brownies
Nov. 15, 2022, holiday
meal, according to the
lawsuit.
Ken Lewis, the attorney
for A Helping Hand Home
Care and 13 others named
in the lawsuit, filed a notice
of dismissal July 3 in Hall
County State Court. The
notice stated the claims in
the lawsuit are “settled, sat
isfied and dismissed with
prejudice.”
The lawsuit was filed
against Broxton's compa
nies — Easy B’s Kitchen
and East B’s Market and
Cafe — and the Junior
League of Gainesville-Hall
County, where the holiday
party took place.
“These THC brownies
were so poisonous, many
who ingested just a couple
(W x 3 / 4 ”) THC brown
ies ended up at Northeast
Georgia Medical Center
suffering from acute THC
poisoning,” the complaint
stated. “Studies have shown
that acute THC poisoning
often produces severe psy
chological reactions such
as panic, fear and ‘can lead
to acute psychosis in many
individuals.’”
Lewis told The Times
the case was settled with
all parties for a confidential
amount.
“I think a settlement
indicates that certainly
there were some valid
claims, and in order to
resolve those valid claims,
an amount was agreed
upon to compensate the
plaintiffs,” Lewis said. “I
think settlements are a part
of the litigation process,
and I’m glad that my cli
ents were able to obtain
some recovery.”
Regarding his clients'
health following the inci
dent, Lewis said, “I can
only say that some clients
are doing really well. Some
are still struggling.”
A Helping Hand Home
Care contracted with Brox-
ton to cater a holiday meal
for its employees, a spread
including salad, lasagna,
bread, lemon bars, brownie
bites, tea and water.
Broxton prepared the
meal at the Junior League
building on Riverside
Drive and served it there
Nov. 15, 2022, according
to the lawsuit.
Attorney Maren Cave,
who represented Broxton
and Easy B's Cafe, said the
lawsuit “has amicably and
confidentially resolved.”
The Times reached out to
attorney William Holling
sworth, who is represent
ing Broxton and his other
business, as well as Junior
League's attorneys, but no
statements about the settle
ment have been received as
of Monday, July 15.
In its prior court filings,
Junior League argued that
it is in “no way liable” to
the plaintiffs. It included
a copy of its rental agree
ment and its indemnifica
tion clause, showing that
the home health care com
pany agreed to hold Junior
League harmless from cer
tain claims.
PUBLIC NOTICE DESTRUCTION
OF RECORDS OF
SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS
The Hall County School District Department of Special
Education announces the intent to destroy specific special
education records. Records will be destroyed that were
collected, maintained or used in providing a free appropriate
public education for disabled and/or exceptional students in
the Hall County School District. This notice is in compliance
with the district’s comprehensive plan for special education as
required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Special Education Records for students who were born
between August 1,2001 and July 31,2002, and those who
have graduated with general education diplomas are no
longer needed for educational purposes. These records
might, however, be needed by the student or parent for Social
Security or other reasons. If a student or parent would like
copies of a student’s special education records, he or she
should contact Arianna Alvarado in the Special Education
Office at 770-534-1080.
The Hall County School District plans to destroy the above
referenced Special Education Records on August 31,2024.
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