Newspaper Page Text
c ~^r ? egion Roundup
Braselton Ends
Year With Lots
Of Red Ink
Owing to capital expenses relat
ed to building new city facilities,
the Town of Braselton ended its
2007 fiscal year in the red by $2.7
million, according to a recently
released audit. But the city had
accrued a surplus of funds from
previous years and finished FY07
with a positive general fund bal
ance of $2.4 million. The town’s
fiscal year ended June 30.
But the most dramatic numbers
in the budget was a large drop in
some areas of city income, most
ly related to a slowing economy
that generated less fee and ser
vice charge revenues. Increased
sales tax income offset much of
that drop, however.
Total general fund revenue to
the town was $4.1 million with
expenses of $6.9 million, leav
ing the $2.7 in negative income.
However, capital expenditures
accounted for $3.9 million of the
city’s expenses in FY07. That was
mostly related to the construc
tion and furnishing of new town
governmental facilities.
“All in all, the town’s financials
remained solid despite a weak
economy,’’ said the audit.
Town manager Jennifer Scott
also pointed out that the town’s
tax digest had grown by 22 per
cent and that the town’s assets
had grown by 13 percent.
WATER FUND
In the town’s water and sewer
fund, Braselton finished FY07
with an operating net income
of $1.4 million. That was due to
higher water rates because of the
drought and to a growing num
ber of customers on the city’s
water/sewer system.
Braselton Woman
Wins $1 Million
In GA Lottery
Braselton’s Valerie Crawford is
starting the New Year with some
extra cash in her pocket — in fact,
it’s $1 million.
Crawford, 25, won $1 million
playing the Georgia Lottery’s
Holiday Millionaire Raffle. She
was one of four people who
purchased a $1 million ticket in
the game.
“I don’t play the lottery that
often,’’ Crawford said. “But last
year I did buy tickets with some
family members.’’
Those tickets — through the
Holiday Millionaire Raffle —
didn’t win anything, but 2008
would bring new fortune for
Crawford.
It was the purchase of a single
lottery ticket at a Circle K store
in Winder that proved to be the
winner. Crawford’s brother-in-law
and mother had purchased their
tickets at the Athens Street store
just before her.
On New Year’s Eve during a
phone conservation with her
older sister, Crawford checked
the numbers on her lottery tick
et.
“Oh, my gosh, I think I’m a win
ner,’’ Crawford told her sister on
the phone.
Crawford ran downstairs, where
30 people were in attendance for
a New Year’s Eve party. Needless
to say, she was screaming in
excitement at the time.
“I was flabbergasted, I couldn’t
believe that I won,’’ Crawford said
on learning about her millionaire
status just before the stroke of
midnight New Year’s Eve.
And with the holiday, Crawford
had to wait until the Georgia
Lottery’s office was open. It
opened Jan. 3, and Crawford
was the first of the Holiday
Millionaire Raffle winners to
claim her prize.
Crawford plans to use the funds
to pay off her small business,
a party supply store. She also
plans to invest, give some money
to family members, and take
several short vacations around
the Southeast over the next few
weeks.
Crawford is also a real estate
agent who enjoys playing tennis
in a women’s league and co-ed
softball in Buford. She graduated
from Parkview High School.
“I have two dogs that are my
life,’’ Crawford added. “I’m defi
nitely an animal person.’’
Holiday Millionaire Raffle was
a limited-time game that gave
Georgia Lottery players their
best odds ever to win $1 million,
according to the Georgia Lottery.
The game offered four $ 1 million
prizes, four $100,000 prizes, 20
$10,000 prizes and 1,000 $500
prizes.
Local Teen's
New Song Hits
Billboard Chart
BRASELTON - Teen singing
sensation Tiffany Milagro recent
ly charted on Billboard maga
zine’s Hot 100 Singles sales chart
with her song, “There’s No City
as Pretty as Savannah.’’ The teen’s
latest hit debuted at number 19
on the chart this past November.
In 2006, Milagro charted with
her first hit single “Why Can’t It
Just Be Christmas.’’ That single
debuted at number 12.
Milagro’s latest single is cur
rently in its fourth week on the
charts. All together, Milagro has
enjoyed 11 weeks on Billboard
and is hoping for more hits.
“I didn’t even expect to get one
on, but, now that two are on, it’s
really, really great,’’ Milagro said.
The past few months have been
busy for Milagro. In addition to
releasing a new single, Milagro
has performed at numerous
charity events, sang the national
anthem at a Braves game and
performed at the Peach Drop
on New Year’s Eve. Milagro said
she has enjoyed all the events,
particularly the Peach Drop.
“[The Peach Drop] was so much
fun,’’ she said. “It was really excit
ing as the traffic was building up
throughout the day. It was pretty
exciting to be invited to sing.’’
Milagro has no plans to slow
down in 2008. This year, Milagro
will be graduating from Mill
Creek High School, working on
a concert tour and recording a
new album. She also plans to
enroll in college, but said she
may spend the first few months
after graduation focusing on her
music career.
Milagro said a college educa
tion is important to her, but she
hopes to make a career out of
singing.
“Music is my main thing.. I
really can’t see myself doing any
thing else,’’ she said.
Milagro has several goals for
her musical career, including
singing at the Grammys. She
said she would like to be “one of
the greats,’’ but her main goal is
to continue her charity work.
For the past several years,
Milagro has helped raise money
for numerous causes by perform
ing at charity events. She said
music stars such as Patti LaBelle,
who Milagro recently met, can
raise thousands of dollars with
just a short performance.
“I would like to be able to make
that much of an impact,’’ she
said.
Milagro’s father and manager,
Fred Piedrahita, said Tiffany’s
music is well suited for use by
charitable organizations because
of its upbeat nature.
“All of her music is very posi
tively oriented,’’ Piedrahita said.
Piedrahita said Milagro’s song,
“Whatever Makes Your Soul
Sing,’’ is currently featured on
an American Cancer Society
DVD. Talks are currently under
way with Diamond in the Rough,
a faith-based, youth leadership
program, to use Milagro’s single
“Diamond in the Rough’’ as a
theme song.
Milagro said helping others is
important to her and that she
feels privileged to work with so
many different charitable orga
nizations.
Although her career is in its
early stages, Milagro has already
experienced success of which
many artists only dream. Milagro
said she is enjoying every min
ute.
22 Percent Get
Lood Stamps
In Madison Co.
DANIELSVILLE - One sta
tistic on the Madison County
Department of Family and
Children’s services year-end
report caused a few double-takes
from DFCS board members
when they saw it Friday: 22 per
cent of the county’s population
received food stamps at some
point 2007.
“That’s an eye-opener,’’ chair
man Gary Locke said.
The high percentage was par
ticularly noteworthy since the
requirements for food stamps
weren’t lowered in 2007. Eligibility
for the program is based on
income and household size.
The report also showed that
Madison County served a month
ly average of 2,489 recipients
with a total amount of $2,683,987
worth of food stamps being
issued in 2007.
As for the rest of the report,
there were also promising stats.
The department’s child abuse
and neglect reports dropped
from 470 to 434 in 2007 over
2006. Furthermore, DFCS direc
tor Lisa Plank noted that 50 per
cent of these cases were success
fully handled as “diversions’’ and
were never classified as cases of
neglect.
“Diversion’’ is a new tactic the
department is using to provide
help before the situation esca
lates to abusive levels.
“So we’re handling over half of
what we get in that way,’’ Plank
said.
The board also learned that
three children had been adopted
since May and that 75 more were
placed in care with relatives. The
department has increased its use
of relative care as an alternative
to foster care. It’s also an option
for a permanent placement plan
if children can’t return to their
parents.
SMITH HONORED
Long-time DFCS board mem
ber Mary Smith was honored
with a plaque recognizing 25
years of service Friday in con
junction with the unveiling of
a refurbished visitation room
for children at the department
office.
The plaque will hang in the
room.
“We appreciate you, Mary,’’
Locke told Smith.
The improvements to the visita
tion room were coordinated by
the Union Baptist Church youth
group. The walls were repainted
while a mural was added to one
of the walls. Brenda Chandler, of
Union Baptist, attended Friday’s
ceremony.
The visitation room still needs
more amenities, which Smith,
who attends Union Baptist, will
attain through church donations.
The DFCS board also voted to
spend $ 150 to add security cam
eras to the room.
Senior Citizens'
Center Named
Lor Lormer Director
DANIELSVILLE - The Madison
County Senior Center will now
be called the Eloise McCurley
Senior Center.
County commissioners unani
mously agreed Monday to rename
the center after McCurley, the
long-time senior center director
who died from injuries sustained
in a December car accident.
County commissioner Stanley
Thomas proposed the name
change.
“She (McCurley) was commit
ted to the seniors of our county,’’
said Thomas. “She gave them
hope, help and encouraged them
to enjoy life to its fullest in their
later years. She ran a first-class
operation.’’
Thomas said he didn’t want
McCurley’s service to the county
to be forgotten.
“I don’t want her committment
to the center and the citizens of
this county to be forgotten,’’ said
Thomas. “In time, people will
forget how the senior center got
started and who was involved
in it. And I’m asking this board
to rename the senior center the
Eloise McCurley Senior Center.’’
Jefferson Gets
Through 2007
Without Borrowing
The City of Jefferson ended
2007 without having to borrow
any money, which is an improve
ment over 2006 when the city
council had an emergency meet
ing to borrow more than $1 mil
lion to finish out the year.
“That is a very big accomplish
ment,’’ finance director Amie
Vaughan reported at the city
council meeting Monday night.
“We accomplished a lot this year.
Going forward now into 2008,
we have to continue with our
awareness and strive to find cost
saving measures.’’
The city did use $21,800 of
2008 tax funds in 2007, but
Vaughan said after all the adjust
ments are posted, she believes
the city will be in the black rather
than the red.
Long-time councilman C.D.
Kidd said he had seen the coun
cil borrow funds many times dur
ing his more than three decades
in office.
“This wasn’t unusual,’’ he said.
“I’ve seen the city borrow money
before. It wasn’t anything new,
but the amount was. But we didn’t
have then what we have now (as
far as services).’’
Vaughan presented a break
down of the expenses for each
department, which showed the
recreation department was the
only one to go over budget in
2007. The city had budgeted
$983,034 for parks and recre
ation, but $1,061 million was
spent. All other city departments
were under budget for the year.
'Radio Jefferson'
Up Lor Sale
Jefferson is trying to sell its low-
power radio station after ad sales
have not been what recreation
director Ben Dillard promised
when he presented the proposal
to the city council last spring.
Dillard suggested at Monday
night’s city council meeting that
the radio station be sold. He
also blamed the lack of success
of the city-operated station on
negative coverage in The Jackson
Herald.
“The negative publicity in the
local newspaper has made it
impossible to sell ads because
businesses do not want their
names to be published along with
these demeaning articles,’’ Dillard
said. “We’ve had plenty of sup
port, but the negative angle hurts
tremendously.’’
From July through December,
Radio Jefferson only generated
$9,190 in income, but had expens
es of $151,400. In December,
the station had no income and
expenses of $6,050.
“We started Radio Jefferson
to provide a valuable commu
nity service and to raise money
for the recreation department,’’
Dillard said. “After six months of
broadcasting, we have not been
able to generate enough ad sales
to create a profit. Any business
takes time and this idea is still a
great one for the community. But
because of the circumstances ...
I’ve talked with (city manager)
John (Ward) about implement
ing an exit strategy. I don’t want
the station to continue to be a
distraction as it has for the past
six months.’’
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COMMERCE FIRE DEPT. TO BEGIN
NEW TRAINING CLASS FEB. 21
The Commerce Fire Department will begin a new Training Class on
Thursday, February 21, 2008. Interested parties should pick up an
application form at City Hall and return it before cut-off date of January
31, 2008. Training class will last approximately one year and at that
time there will be a LIMITED number of positions filled in the
department. Completion of training does NOT GUARANTEE placement
on the department. All applications may not be accepted. Those
interested must meet the following requirements:
• Willing to spend a minimum of 120 hours training per year
• Be able and available to attend at least 50% of all fire calls
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• High School graduate or equivalent
• Complete Module I Firefighters Course with passing grade
• Be able to pass rigorous physical fitness activities
• Be willing to serve the community protecting lives and property
• Be a “team player” and work well with the CFD family.
COMMERCE FIRE DEPT. IS A VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT
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