Newspaper Page Text
ELECTIONS 2010
THEY'RE LINING UP TO RUN
Condidotes ore already conning out of the woodwork to run for office
in elections almost a year awoy: See Page 11A
PREP PREPARATION
Eastjockson and Commerce prep football,
softball and cross country teams gear up for
their season openers: Pages 1-2B
Vol. 134
No. 26
22 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Nicholson's
Attomery
Resigns Post
Key Figure In
Pendergrass Scandal
Submits Resignation
The central figure in the
Pendergrass whistleblow
ers scandal has resigned
his position as city attor
ney in the South Jackson
town of Nicholson.
Rob Russell, chief admin
istrator and police chief
in Pendergrass, was also
serving as Nicholson’s
lawyer.
“Rob Russell offered a
letter of resignation and
the city has accepted,"
said Nicholson Mayor
Ronnie Maxwell.
In addition, Nicholson
asked Brant Erickson,
city marshal, to resign,
Maxwell said. The mar
shal’s position has been
eliminated, said Maxwell.
“It was beginning to look
too much like a police
department and we don’t
want a police department
at this time," said the
mayor.
Russell has been the key
Please Turn to Page 3A
msm
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
Isolated T-storms: Low, 68;
high, 87; 30% chance rain
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
Scattered T-storms: Low, 68;
high, 82; 40% chance rain
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
Scattered T-storms: Low, 68;
high, 85; 40% chance rain
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
Scattered T-storms: Low, 68;
high, 86; 40% chance rain
Precipitation this month
0.19 inches
Precipitation This Year
27.8 Inches
INDEX
Births
9A
Church News ...
3B
Classified Ads ...
..8-1 OB
Calendar
3A
Crime News ....
...7-8 A
News Roundup .
2 A
Obituaries
....4-5B
Opinions
4A
School News ...
.... 1 2A
Sports
.... 1-2B
Social News ....
..9-1OA
City School Enrollment Down 100
Enrollment in the
Commerce School System
is running about 100 stu
dents behind last year as
the second week of classes
gets under way.
Superintendent of schools
James E. “Mac" McCoy put
the enrollment at 1,425
Monday, a week into the
2009-10 school year.
Most of the loss comes
from the primary school
(down 44) and middle
school (off about 25). CHS
is down about eight students
and Commerce Elementary
School held virtually even.
McCoy said he could not
account for the falling num
bers.
“A lot of times it’s just
a bubble group," he said.
“When they come to us, it’s
a smaller group (than the
group that graduated)."
It’s hard to say whether
the economy had an affect
on enrollment, but certainly
some students have relocat
ed for that reason.
“Times are tough," McCoy
noted. “People are living
with their moms and dads
and just going where they
can to survive the hard eco
nomic times we’re in."
Thanks to federal stimu-
Please Turn to Page 3A
Back To School
Greeting Her Students
Benton Elementary School fifth grade teacher Cristina Dellrioste stands
outside the door of her classroom last Thursday morning, welcoming
students on the first day of school as the Jackson County School System
started a new school year. Photo by Mark Beardsley
Late Payment Of Taxes
Causes Cash Flow Woes
Collections Down About 2.5%
Through June Countywide
By Mark Beardsley
Property tax collections throughout
Jackson County are running about 2.5
percent behind schedule, adding to the
financial pinch for school systems and
local governments.
Tax commissioner Don Elrod billed
$68.2 million in 2008 property taxes for
the county, various municipalities, fire
districts and school systems. A 2.5-per
cent lag in payment amounts to a $1.7
cash shortfall for those groups com
pared to what had been paid by the end
of June in 2008.
For Jackson County, that works out
to about $500,000 fewer tax dollars
collected through June in 2009 than
at the same time last year. For the
cash-strapped Jackson County School
System, that’s a cash flow challenge
amounting to $725,000 (not counting
bonds), and the Commerce School
System is about $56,000 down in collec
tions from this time last year.
According to tax commissioner Don
Elrod, his office has collected 94.19 per
cent of the 2008 total tax levy. Typically
by the end of June, collections are at the
97-percent level.
Even as it awaits the returns from
2008, the tax office is winding up the
2007 collection process. With the tax
sale last Tuesday, Elrod said “everything
‘97 and back that’s not bankrupt will be
done with — everything we can find a
clear title on."
There are some tracts where owner
ship is unknown or unclear, but where
the tax revenue is not sufficient to war
rant the expense of collecting the tax.
The county plans additional tax sales
Please Turn to Page 5A
Reversal: McKown
Takes Clewiston Job
By Mark Beardsley
Almost a month after
learning that another candi
date had been hired as the
Clewiston, FL, city man
ager, Commerce’s finance
director Steve McKown
is packing his bags for
Florida.
In a reversal of its July
vote, the Clewiston City
Council voted unanimous
ly Aug. 7 to offer the posi
tion to McKown, who had
been one of two finalists
for the job.
“I received a call from
the interim city manager of
Clewiston last Friday (July
31) that the contract negoti
ations with the other candi
date had failed," McKown
said. “I signed a contract
with the city of Clewiston
on Wednesday and their
commission unanimously
approved it at a special
called meeting."
McKown resigned
from his
Commerce
position
effective
Friday, Aug.
21.
“It has
been my
pleasure
to serve
the city of
Commerce over the past
four years, and I wish this
great city nothing but the
best in the future," McKown
said.
Clewiston, which is locat
ed on the southwest shore
of Lake Okeechobee,
bills itself as “America’s
Sweetest Town." Located
midway between the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts,
the city offered to pay
$85,000 to $100,000 for
the manager’s position.
The city has a $30 million
Please Turn to Page 3A
McKown
School System Still
Lacks 09-10 Budget
By Ben Munro
The Commerce School
System is still without a
budget for 2009-2010, but
inches closer toward a
proposed spending plan —
and the end of a laborious
process.
“We’re getting really
close to having a com
pleted document,"
Superintendent James
“Mac" McCoy said.
School leaders say the
state has been slow to send
them the final information
needed to produce a tenta
tive budget. As a result,
the Commerce Board of
Education (BOE) approved
another spending resolu
tion Monday to operate
schools until the budget is
completed.
A tentative budget must
be approved, advertised
publicly and sit for a month
before the BOE can pass
the final budget.
McCoy presented a draft
budget to the school board
at its Monday night meet
ing, although some num
bers had already changed
by the time it reached the
BOE.
School system finance
director Ann Stokey, who
said the budget could
decrease by five percent,
expressed guarded opti
mism about this year’s fig
ures.
“Unless the governor
does something between
now and next month, I
think this might be a really
good solid budget," Stokey
said.
Stokey added that she’s
balanced the revenue and
expenses, “so hopefully,
we’ll be a break-even bud
get. If we do, we could
have $1.2 million left in
reserve next year ... if all
the stars line up."
School board chairman
Please Turn to Page 3A
Clark Hill Qualifies For Ward 4
Seat In Sept. 15 Special Election
With a half day of qualifying remaining, Dr. Clark Hill
was the only candidate to have qualified for the Ward 4
special election set for Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Qualifying was scheduled to end today (Wednesday)
at noon.
The election fills the unexpired term of Bob Sosebee.