Newspaper Page Text
Page 8A
iReporter
May 18, 2022
County mails tax assessments with 4% hike
By Will Davis
publisher® my mcr.net
Monroe County
property owners
received their updated
assessments over the
weekend that will be
used to levy property
taxes later this year.
Monroe County
GERHARDT
chief tax appraiser
Bobby Gerhardt said
about 12,850 property
assessment notices
were sent out last week.
While property values
continue to surge in
Monroe County, tax
able values only went
up 4.78 percent, said
Gerhardt. The total
taxable value of property in the
county, called the digest, went up
about $219 million to $4.8 billion,
said Gerhardt. That’s half of last
years surge, which was 8 percent.
Gerhardt said they sent the no
tices on Friday and haven’t been
flooded with calls so they don’t
expect too many appeals. He said
frequent news stories about the
county’s surging values prepared
most people for any increase.
Gerhardt said the county
should be preparing for a tax shift
given the uncertain future of the
county’s biggest property tax
payer Plant Scherer. The state sets
power plant values and Scherer’s
is currently $1.9 billion, nearly
half the total. It has not started to
go down yet, said Gerhardt. Plant
Scherer’s owners have already
closed 1 of 4 units there and are
expected to close more. Gerhardt
said that means homeowners
would have to pick up the differ
ence unless the county recruits a
new industry.
“A tax shift is gonna happen
if Plant Scherer goes dark,” said
Gerhardt. “We need to have some
new industry, otherwise every
body else has to pay a lot more.”
QuikTrip opens Thurs.
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
The newest addition to
Monroe County’s long
list of gas stations and
convenience stores will
finally open early tomor
row morning. QuikTrip,
which is headquartered in
Tulsa, Okla., is opening its
new store at 240 Harold
G. Clarke Parkway that
features a 10,000 square
foot store with nine pump
stations in the front of the
store that can serve 18
vehicles at once. In the rear,
there are pumps for larger
vehicles such as RVs and
semi-trucks.
According to construc
tion superintendent De-
wayne Furnish who works
for Venture Construc
tion out of Norcross, the
project fell nearly a month
behind schedule due to
material delays. He said it
took around 200 workers
to complete construction,
working many 12-hour
days and a lot of weekends.
To ease congestion in the
area, a new traffic light was
installed at the corner of
Harold G. Clarke Parkway
and Patrol Road, which
means Forsyth now has 6
stoplights.
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The new 4-way stop light at Quik Trip, which opens on Thursday.
Everyday Hero: El Tejado head chef Roberto Castillo
Roberto Castillo
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
He came to this country for a better
life and in doing so has made life bet
ter for us. Roberto Castillo, head chef
at the El Tejado Mexican Restaurant
came to Monroe County with his wife
from Michoacan, Mexico 29 years ago
and has worked in the same kitchen
ever since. His sister, Alicia, was already
working at the popular restaurant
when he joined the team as a dish
washer.
After five years of learning his
trade, he became the restaurant’s chef
preparing nearly 50 different dishes of
authentic Mexican food. He had to quit
school during his middle school years
because he had to work, and he hasn’t
stopped since. Roberto said in Mexico
you work hard, and you barely make
enough to eat but, in the countries
south of Mexico, you work hard and
there’s nothing to eat. He understands
why so many want to come to this land
of opportunity.
The menu has changed little since
he began working at El Tejado and
Roberto says his favorite dish is the
burrito verde (green burrito) that he
eats nearly every day with variations.
On an ordinary day, he prepares an
average of300 plates a day for hungry
customers that keep coming back for
more. Roberto estimates he served
around 1,000 guests recently on Cinco
de Mayo.
He typically starts his day at 9:30 a.m.
and heads back home around 11:00
p.m. with a two-hour break from 3 to
5, five days a week and six days every
other week. He says the best thing
about his job is the trust his bosses have
in him and that he knows he always
has work. The only bad thing is when
he must pull a weekend shift.
His wife, Maria, works for the
competition just down the road at the
El Dorado Mexican Restaurant and
together they raised two Mary Persons
graduates, Sonia Vanessa, 26, and
Roberto Mauricio, 18, who is studying
at Middle Georgia.
He wants to tell young people: “Keep
studying. If you study more, you make
more money. In this country, there are
many opportunities. In other countries,
not so much. In the United States, you
can always find work.”
BUSINESSMAN. FAMILY MAN.
CONSERVATIVE.
Endorsed by the
Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Early Voting Ends May 20th.
Election Day is May 24th.
Learn more at
washburnforstatehouse.com
LEADING THE
CONSERVATIVE FIGHT
FOR MIDDLE GEORGIA
• Empowered Parents & Banned CRT
• Returned Over $1 Billion to Taxpayers
• Protected The Sanctity of Life
• Kept GA Open & Growing
• Stood With Law Enforcement
VOTE
REPUBLICA
JOHN F. KENN
MAY 24
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