Newspaper Page Text
ZrzZr Region Roundup
BOC Considers
Change In
Authority Terms
JEFFERSON - The
Jackson County Board of
Commissioners is consider
ing seeking legislative action
to change the term limits
and appointment guidelines
for three authorities.
At a work session Monday
night, the commissioners
discussed the proposed
changes for the dangerous
dog committee, the plan
ning commission and the
board of assessors. Action
on the proposals will be
taken when the BOC meets
at 6 p.m. Monday, April 20,
at the courthouse.
The recommendation on
the dangerous dog com
mittee and the planning
commission is to change
both boards from five
members serving one-year
terms to five members
serving three-year terms.
All appointments would
be staggered.
The recommendation on
the board of assessors is
to change the board from
three members serving five-
year terms to five members
serving three-year terms.
All appointments would be
staggered.
Board of assessors mem
ber Kenneth Bridges cau
tioned the BOC to consider
that it can take up to three
years to train a board mem
ber. He also pointed out that
adding two more members
would increase the budget
as the members are paid for
the meetings they attend.
Jefferson Man
Wins Big
In The Lottery
A free Fantasy 5 ticket
translated into a $412,801
jackpot win for a Jefferson
man.
Paul “Shane” Forrester
won the prize with a free
ticket that matched all five
winning numbers in the
March 20 Fantasy 5 draw
ing.
“I had a 'Buy One Get One’
coupon,” he said. “It was my
free ticket that won.”
Forrester, 37, was stunned
when he called the Georgia
Tottery’s Player Information
Hot Fine for draw results.
“I had to call my wife
and get her to verify online
too,” he explained. “I was
shocked. I really had to sit
for about an hour.”
Winning numbers for
the March 20 Fantasy 5
drawing were 4-19-22-25-33.
Forrester received his free
Quik Pik ticket at Shell Food
Mart, 4915 U.S. Highway
129 N„ Jefferson.
An AT&T service techni
cian, Forrester plans to pay
off his home mortgage, buy
a motorcycle and take a
vacation, possibly a cruise.
School Board
Passes 3 Percent
Pay Reductions
HOMER -- The Banks
County Board of Education
voted unanimously last
week to slash salaries
throughout the school sys
tem by three percent next
school year.
The action came after
two public hearings.
Approximately 50 people
attended the hearings, but
only five spoke.
The three-percent cut for
certified personnel will be
accomplished by cutting
the local six-percent supple
ment to the state pay down
to three percent. Since non-
certified employees are
paid with local revenue,
their basic salaries will be
cut by three percent.
At the hearing Wednesday,
April 1, four people spoke.
Among them were two
bus drivers who asked that
their salaries not be cut and
pointed out that they are
already “the lowest on the
totem pole.”
“We’re here to listen to
your concerns,” chairman
Ron Gardiner said.
Scarlett Shirley asked that
the bus driver salaries not
be cut.
“We bus drivers do not
feel our salaries should be
cut,” she said. "... We don’t
make anything now.”
She told the board that
some of the raises approved
last year for some staff
members total more than
a bus driver makes in two
years. She also spoke on
the many duties the bus
drivers have, including dis
cipline and returning items
students leave on the bus.
Bus driver Gena Carland
also spoke against the pay
cut.
Others speaking included
teacher Tressa Moore, who
said she would prefer a pay
cut to employees losing
their jobs.
Thursday night, only one
person spoke. Jerry Payne
Commerce Downtown
Development Authority
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
The Commerce Downtown Development Authority, Georgia will be
receiving separate sealed Bids for all material, labor and equipment for
the “Commerce Business Information Center”. This includes the
renovation of the interior and exterior of the building at 12 Pine Street in
Commerce, GA with all related accessories as shown on the plans and
called for in the Contract Documents and Technical Specifications. Bids
shall be on Unit Price Items.
The project shall be Substantially Complete within 40 calendar days
from the date of notice to proceed of the contract.
The Commerce Downtown Development Authority will receive bids
until 2:00 p.m. on April 21. 2009 at 1645 South Elm Street, PO Box
717, Commerce, Georgia 30529. Bids received after this time will not
be accepted. Bids will be opened and publicly read aloud. All interested
parties are invited to attend.
Contract Documents may be examined at the following locations:
Commerce Downtown Development Authority, 1645 South Elm
Street, PO Box 717, Commerce, Georgia 30529
Stevenson & Palmer Engineering, Inc., 2430 Herodian Way, Suite
101, Smyrna, Georgia 30080.
Dodge Plan Room, 1750 Enterprise Way, Ste. 103, Marietta, GA 30067
Dodge Plan Room, 1281 Broad Street, Augusta, GA 30901
AGC Builder’s Exchange, 1940 The Exchange, Suite 300, Marietta, GA
30339
Reed Construction Data, 30 Technology Parkway S., Suite 100, Norcross,
GA 30092
Copies of the Bidding Documents, Specifications and Drawings may be
obtained from the office of Stevenson & Palmer Engineering, Inc., upon
non-refundable payment of $50.00.
No BIDDER may withdraw his bid within sixty (60) days after the date of
Bid opening.
Each Bidder is required to submit a “Bid Form” “Form of Qualification of
Bidder”, “Non-Collusion Affidavit” and “Immigration and Security Form”
as outlined in Section 00250 and the Rural Development forms in Section
00807.
This contract is Rural Development funded. The Contractor must comply
with: EEO compliance.
The Commerce Downtown Development Authority reserves the right
to waive any informalities or to reject any or all bids and to readvertise.
Visit www.speng.com for a list of plan holders on this project. Then click
on “Bids & Projects” to view a project out for bid or under construction.
said the board needs to
look at what is the most
important thing for the chil
dren, and said the quality
of education needs to be
maintained.
Following the public hear
ing Thursday night, the
board reconvened at 8 p.m.
to vote on the proposal.
“As we have discussed at
the past two hearings, my
recommendations stand
that we have a three-percent
reduction in local supple
ment to teachers and a
three-percent salary reduc
tion to classified staff,”
superintendent Chris Erwin
said.
The move is expected
to save approximately
$500,000, Erwin said.
Census Bureau
Now At Work
On Addresses
The first step for the 2010
census began this week —
when workers started col
lecting address informa
tion.
The Census Bureau will
update more than 145 mil
lion addresses across the
nation in preparation of the
2010 Census.
In Northeast Georgia,
about 1,000 in-field and
office census workers based
from an office in Gainesville
are preparing to collect
address information.
That means getting the
address information for
every house, apartment,
mobile home and shelter
in the country. The pro
cess started Monday and
is expected to continue
through mid-June or late-
July.
Collecting those address
es is the first step before
sending a census question
naire in March 2010.
The census data deter
mines how Congressional
district lines are drawn and
affects the allocation of
state and federal funding.
Census workers will wear
badges, and will use hand
held computers with GPS
technology to collect accu
rate address information.
The data collected from
those computers will be sent
to the Gainesville office.
If Census workers have
questions — such as prop
erties with multiple living
quarters — they may knock
on doors for additional
information.
Workers for the 2010 cen
sus will never ask for bank or
social security information,
the Census Bureau said in a
statement. All census infor
mation collected, including
addresses, are confidential
and protected by law. By law,
the Census Bureau cannot
share respondents’ answers
with the FBI, the IRS, CIA,
Welfare, Immigration,
or any other government
agency. No court of law or
law enforcement agency
can find out respondents’
answers. All Census Bureau
employees — including tem
porary employees — take an
oath for life to keep census
information confidential.
Any violation of that oath is
punishable by a fine of up
to $250,000 and five years
in prison.
Citizen Wants
Referendum On
Property Taxes
A Hoschton resident
thinks the city’s taxpay
ers should get to vote on
whether the city institutes a
property tax.
Hoschton has not lev
ied ad valorem taxes for
30 years. Officials say they
have a tax — but the millage
rate is zero — and facing
revenue challenges, there is
sentiment in city govern
ment for levying a tax.
Discussion came after a
citizen asked the city coun
cil to hold a referendum
should Hoschton consider
increasing property taxes.
“My opinion is that any
increase in the millage rate
at any time — whether it’s
this time or 10 years from
now — be subject to popu
lar referendum,” said Kelley
Gary.
The Hoschton City
Council considered adopt
ing the first property tax
in almost 30 years during
budget discussions last fall.
But after an outcry of public
opposition against the pro
posal, the council approved
a 2009 budget without a
property tax increase.
For the 2010 budget,
Hoschton is getting a jump
start on the process that
would give ample time to
consider a potential prop
erty tax.
Still, the council hasn’t
decided if it will increase
property taxes in 2010.
City attorney Thomas
Mitchell said holding a ref
erendum on the issue would
require that Hoschton
change its city charter,
which can’t be done with
out approval by the Georgia
General Assembly, which
recently ended its 2009 leg
islative session.
Gary suggested the city
amend its charter during
a proposed special session
that is currently being debat
ed for state legislators.
Mayor Bill Copenhaver
said the city council will
continue to consider its
options.
Dismissed Tax
Assessors Vow
To Keep Working
DANIEFSVIFFE
Madison County commis
sioners voted to oust the
board of assessors (BOA)
last Monday, but three of
the four BOA members
showed up Thursday for
their regular meeting, vow
ing to continue with busi
ness as usual until they
are officially let go and all
appeals are exhausted.
“We have been challenged
and voted on by the BOC
to be removed,” said BOA
chairman David Ragland
to his fellow assessor mem
bers. “I understand there
will be a letter forthcom
ing. We have been asked
not to go down to the
(appraisal) office. We have
been told that we are no
longer in charge of the
day-to-day operation of the
office — that the chairman
of the board of commis
sioners is in charge. The
question was asked, 'How
might the board approach
this?’ Would anyone care to
address this?”
Board member Jim Escoe
responded that he will con
tinue to work until he is
removed.
“As long as I sit here I
have a job to do,” he said,
urging the group to move
forward with review of
approximately 175 conser
vation use applications.
BOA member Tarry
Stewart said he will also
continue working.
“I would agree with that
and just say that we still have
a duty to perform — and I
don’t exactly know where
this ends up or doesn’t —
but I do know that by law
we are still charged as long
as we are sitting here to
perform this duty and that’s
what I think we should do,”
said Stewart.
Ragland agreed with Escoe
and Stewart. Fellow board
member Samantha Garland
was not at Thursday’s meet
ing.
“In closing, I’ll agree with
both of you,” said Ragland.
“I believe this is still the
BOA and we shall function
until the last hour of the last
day.”
Also Thursday, the board
voted 3-0 to send out tax
assessment notices to all
property owners, instead
of just those whose values
have increased, a cost-cut-
ting practice implemented
in recent years.
“In fairness to the taxpay
ers, this is something we
need to do,” said Escoe of
sending notices to all tax
payers.
Tickets Now Available.
The numbers tell the story. 65% of the PGA TOUR is made up of players from the TOUR'S
official proving ground — the Nationwide Tour. Beginning April 13, you’ll have a chance to
watch some of the best golfers in the country compete right here in Athens during the Athens
Regional Foundation Classic. You and your friend can also sign up to play with the pros during
the Wednesday Pro-Am. Call us now about our Skysuite seating as well as our ticket packages.
Or visit arfcgolf.org to find out much more.
Robert Damron sinks the winning putt In
a playoff to claim the $94,500 winner's
prize during last year's Athens Regional
Foundation Classic.
Great Golf. Great Cause.
Join us for the
4th Annual Nationwide Tour
Athens Regional Foundation Classic
April 13-19
Jennings Mill Country Club
Benefiting the Athens Regional Foundation
Nationwide'
Tour
For tickets call 706-475-7025
or visit www.arfcgolf.org