Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 134
No. 12
18 Pages
3 Sections
The
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
Wednesday
me m
(Jommerce News
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
MAY 6,2009
Foul Water
Finally Out
Of System?
By Mark Beardsley
Commerce and Mays-
ville water customers can
start drinking their tap
water again. The safe but
smelly dirt-tasting tap
water they’ve experienced
for more than a week is all
but gone.
The Commerce water
shed lake experienced its
annual spring “tempera
ture inversion," creating
odor and taste issues. The
water remained safe to
drink, but its taste could
deter most folks from tak
ing more than a sip. The
inversion causes sediment
to mix with the water,
causing its taste and odor
to deteriorate.
'The plant is okay," said
Bryan Harbin, director of
the city’s water and sewer
operations Friday morn
ing. “We’re in the process
of flushing hydrants now
and should finish that
either today or tomor
row."
Harbin on Friday pre
dicted that all of the issues
would be resolved over the
weekend, but on Monday,
the problem remained in
some areas where dead
end lines could not be
flushed.
The bad taste and odor
typically lasts three to five
days each spring, accord
ing to Harbin.
“It has been unusually
bad this year," he noted.
“It was due to the big
temperature swings last
week."
Harbin said water offi
cials noticed the problem
Friday, April 24, at the
plant. A week later, the
plant was cleared, and it
became a matter of flush
ing the old water out of
city water lines. Crews
flushed lines Saturday and
Sunday and continued
Monday. Harbin estimat
ed that the city flushed 3
million gallons or more.
Harbin notified the EPD
of the problem, just in case
it heard complaints. Sure
enough, the EPD got a
complaint from Maysville,
which buys city water.
The EPD visited the plant
Wednesday, April 29.
'They said we were doing
everything we could do,"
Harbin said. “It (the taste
and odor) was still linger
ing, but it was okay at the
plant."
The same situation
sometimes occurs in the
fall as the lake water cools
down, but the problem is
seldom as severe as dur
ing the spring temperature
inversion.
CONTACT US
Phone: 706-335-2927
FAX: 706-387-5435
E-mail:
news@mai nstreetnews. com
mark@mainstreetnews.com
Mail: 1672 S. Broad St.,
Commerce, GA 30529
INDEX
Church News 3B
Classified Ads 6-8 B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 7A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 4-5B
Opinions 4A
School News 9-10A
Sports 1-2B
Social News 8A
BJC Seeks
Bailout Funds
From Counties
Authority Seeks Payment Of
$3.7 Million To Cover Loans And
Accounts Payable Costs
At The Daisy Pestival
Madison Wages, 11, of Winterville, points out something of interest to her
grandmother, Robin Sartain, of Jefferson, under the pavilion at the Daisy
Festival. See more photos on Page 9A. Photo by Mark Beardsley
Sales Tax Slump
Finance Directors Fault
DOR For Falling Revenue
Economy Is Bad,
But Not That Bad?
By Mark Beardsley
Has Jackson County’s
economy taken a 23.4
percent hit for the first two
months of 2009?
That’s what local option
sales tax revenues from
the Georgia Department
of Revenue suggest, but
the finance directors for
Commerce and Jackson
County think there’s anoth
er reason sales tax funds
are down — the inability
or unwillingness of the
Department of Revenue to
accurately and promptly
process sales tax returns.
Sales taxes are second
only to property taxes as a
revenue source for Jackson
County. Given that there
are three local sales taxes
— the local option sales
tax (LOST), and special
purpose local option sales
taxes (SPLOST) for educa
tion and for general govern
ment (roads and bridges,
recreation and water and
sewerage work), sales taxes
have a huge impact on
local government.
Please Turn to Page 5A
By Angela Gary
The struggling BJC
Medical Center needs
cash from Banks and
Jackson counties to stay
afloat.
Rick Massey, a member
of BJC Medical Center
Authority, appeared
before the J ackson County
Board of Commissioners
Monday night to ask the
county to guarantee —
and repay — 75 percent
of a $5.2 million loan, as
well as guarantee 75 per
cent of a $1 million line
of credit.
The authority will make
a similar request — for the
other 25 percent of support
— from the Banks County
Board of Commissioners.
Financial obligations
related to the medical
center have always been
split on a 75:25 percent
ratio between Jackson
and Banks counties.
“We have a significant
need at the current time
for Jackson County and
Banks County to guaran
tee a $5.2 million long
term debt, as well as a
$1 million line of credit,"
Massey told the Jackson
County commissioners.
"... We have to restructure
this short-term debt. We
feel like this is the best-
case scenario ... We need
to restructure that loan
and we can’t do that ... It
is more advantageous to
lump this into one long
term repayment."
The request is to con
solidate approximately
$1.5 million in debt the
two counties now paying
on hospital bonds with
$2.5 million in short-term
debt and $1.2 million of
accounts payable. The
request amounts to an
additional $3.7 million
in support from the two
counties.
Currently, Jackson
County makes $153,655
annual payment for
hospital bonds. If the
board grants the author
ity’s request, its payment
would go to $382,395. The
duration of the agreement
is for 15 years.
If the Banks County
Board of Commissioners
signs on, its annual pay
ment on the medical
center would increase
from the current level of
$51,218 to $127,465.
BJC CEO Jim
Yarborough said the facil
ity would repay any part
of the line of credit it uses
from operating revenue.
A letter from BJC
Authority chairman
Charles Blair explained
that the facility needs to
convert $2.5 million in
short-term loans and $1.2
million in unpaid bills to
long-term debt to survive.
BJC Medical Center ran
up significant deficits —
the numbers are still not
finalized — in 2007 and
2008 as the economy fal
tered, its general surgeon
resigned and state and
federal reimbursements
lagged. The hospital laid
off more than 50 employ
ees, cut some services
and instituted reforms in
collections for emergen
cy room visits to try to
improve cash flow.
Local banks are willing
Please Turn to Page 3A
Proposed City Budget
Takes $9.5 Million Dip
By Mark Beardsley
Don’t expect to see any big city initiatives this year. The
first draft of the proposed 2009-10 Commerce budget is
down almost $10 million from the current budget and has
very little capital spending.
The budget, which must undergo scrutiny — and possible
changes — by the city council, will be approved in June for
a fiscal year that starts July 1.
The city council got its first peek at the $25.6 million
spending plan at Monday night’s work session.
'To give you an idea of what’s in it — nothing," said city
manager Clarence Bryant.
Approximately $7 million of the cut represents natural
gas not purchased.
“We don’t buy LP’s gas and we don’t buy 40-50 percent of
Huber’s gas anymore," said Bryant, referring to the closure
of one wood products plant and cutbacks at the other.
In addition, the cost of natural gas has gone down. That
serves to reduce the city budget on both the expense side
and the revenue side, but the real winners are natural gas
customers who can expect lower bills next winter.
Please Turn to Page 3A
Umm, That Looks Good
Maggie Hill, left, heads for a slice of pizza during a picnic supper Friday
night in Spencer Park as Channing Martin, right, takes her first bite. They were
among the people listening to Lullwater, an Athens band, at the Downtown
Development Authority’s Fridays After Five event. This Friday, the Commerce
High School Band will present a free concert in the park at 6:30 p.m.
Rainfall this month
1.59 inches
Rainfall This Year
20.47 Inches
4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 1 " 9
THURSDAY, MAY 7
Scattered T-storms: Low, 63;
high, 83; 40% chance rain
FRIDAY, MAY 8
Isolated T-storms: Low, 63;
high, 83; 30% chance rain
SATURDAY, MAY 9
Isolated T-storms: Low, 60;
high, 84; 30% chance rain
SUNDAY, MAY 10
y
Partly cloudy: Low, 56; high,
82; 10% chance rain