Newspaper Page Text
January 28, 2009
PAGE 3A
^Reporter
Local News
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Perdue: State must ax property tax relief
BY WILL DAVIS
So you think you're done
paying your property taxes
for the year? Think again.
Trying to close a $2.2 bil
lion hole in the state budg
et, Gov. Sonny Perdue is
asking lawmakers to scrap
a homeowners property tax
relief program that has
saved homeowners about
$200 per year. Halting the
tax relief would keep about
$428 million in state cof
fers. That's the amount the
state has been paying to
counties and local govern
ments to offset the tax
reduction.
If Perdue's proposal pass
es, Monroe County commis
sioners would have to
decide whether to send out
another round of tax bills to
collect the funds or to try to
make do without it. The
bills that went out in
December had included
assessments that assumed
another round of tax relief
from the state.
Commissioner Jim Ham
said revoking the tax relief
is a terrible idea.
"It'd be a disaster for local
government," said Ham. "I
hope and pray that the leg
islature won't take the gov
ernor's lead, that they'll
reinstate it for this year
and find a way to put it in
next year."
Commissioner Jim Peters
said he thinks the legisla
ture will find a way to keep
the tax relief.
"You gonna have a bunch
of angry dang folks (if they
don't)," said Peters.
If the state halts the tax
relief and commissioners
decide to send out tax bills
again, tax commissioner
Lori Andrews said the bills
would be about $182 per
home in the county and
$228 per home in the city of
Forsyth.
State Rep. Jim Cole (R-
Forsyth), Perdue's floor
leader, said the governor
had planned to fund the tax
relief until a few weeks ago
when the state's deficit was
re-calculated at $2.2 billion.
Perdue would fund the tax
relief if he could do so with
out cutting vital programs,
said Cole, like dental cover-
a
'd be a disaster for local government.
I hope and pray that the legislature
won't take the governor's lead.
- Commissioner Jim Ham
age for Peachcare kids.
Cole said lawmakers are
already being inundated
with emails from lobbying
groups and constituents
urging them not to cut vari
ous parts of the budget. He
said Perdue is inviting law
makers to come up with
others cuts to enable them
to fund the property tax
relief. But Cole said he's
been sitting in on meetings
all winter as the governor
has scoured the budget
with a fine-tooth comb and
said he doesn’t know where
they can find the cuts.
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New homes down sharply
Home construction in building official Bentley Cox: "That doesn't mean
Monroe County for 2008 Cox said recessions happen it's not bad."
hit its lowest level since about once a decade in the
fiduciary and estate planning, audits, reviews, and compilations
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68 N. Jackson St. • Forsyth, GA
the county
started
keeping
records four
years ago.
The
Monroe
County
Building
Department
issued new home permits
for a mere 107 homes in
2008. That's down sharply
from 254 new home per
mits in 2007. In 2006, the
county issued 301 new
home permits, a figure that
prompted the census
bureau to label Monroe
County one of the fastest
growing in the country.
Monroe County chief
construction
industry,
but said this
is the worst
he's seen.
"It's awful
bad," said
Cox.
"Sometimes
a recession
is good and kind of weeds
out your bad people in the
business...but this is get
ting some good people."
Cox said people are
scared and don't know
what to do.
Visitors coming through
the building department
have told Cox that Monroe
County seems to be busier
than most areas. But said
** / >
Monroe County Opinion Poll
What is the solution to the slow economy?
Massive federal
spending and new
programs.
0 votes, 0%
Lower taxes and less
regulation.
18 votes, 28%
Let the downturn run
its course.
15 votes, 23%
Less debt. Too many
people and business
es bit off more than
they could chew.
31 votes, 48%
Clarification
A story on page 1A of the Jan. 21 Reporter, "Look before
you leap," should have listed other volunteers who
helped teach the Choosing the Best Soul Mate curricu
lum to Mary Persons seniors. They included the Rev.
Brian Moore, Stan and Nora Hoyt, the Rev. Dean and
Pearl Conkel and Lloyd and Mary Ellen Strickland.
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Advance Checks
The hand is
back tegether...
mission frem Gcd.
The Scrub Team will provide entertainment for the
Monroe County Hospital 2009 Relay for Life fundraiser
Dinner to be held on Saturday, March 21,2009 from
6:30pm - 9:00pm at the
Georgia Public Safety Training Center
Seating is limited as the Scrub Team makes its first public appearance in 3 years.
Watch future Monroe County Reporters for ticket sales & detailed information.
Monroe County
“ Hospital
Cctnng is out, b'dy d life