Vol. 140
No. 5
24 Pages
2 Sections
Wednesday
MARCH 16,2016
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
The colors of spring
Spring is on the way
If the warmer weather isn’t an indication, the multitude of blooming
flowers and shrubs is a reminder that winter is almost over. Spring (the
astronomical March equinox, the date of which varies from year to year
between March 19 and March 21) arrives in Northeast Georgia and the
rest of the Eastern Time Zone this year on Saturday, March 19. Clockwise
from the top left are a Japanese magnolia, a daffodil, a honeybee on a
blueberry blossom and a forsythia bush.
$1 million
in good news
for city BOE
More state funds, reduced
austerity cuts to boost
schools' balance sheet
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
The Commerce Board of Education got a million dollars
worth of good news this past week.
Between a mid-term adjustment in the current budget and
projected revenue changes for the 2016-17 school year, the city
school system stands to gain over $1 million in state revenue.
Superintendent Joy Tolbert went over the projected funding
allocations at the board’s Thursday night “work session.”
For the current school year, the system stands to receive a
“mid-term adjustment” in state revenue of $230,127, due to an
increase of enrollment by 69 students over the past school year.
That growth also boosted the system’s charter school funding
by $6,000.
The projected funding for FY 2017 — and Tolbert stressed that
the allotment at this point is unofficial — includes a $150,000
increase in QBE funds, a decrease of $36,000 in the system’s
“local fair share” contribution to the state, a reduction in the state
austerity cut of $303,133, an increase in the equalization grant
(state money paid to “poorer” school systems) of $251,872 and
additional charter funds of $11,000.
Tolbert reminded the board that school funding “lags two
years,” to explain that the “unexpected $8 million drop” two
years ago in the city tax digest is now paying dividends in terms
of the reduction in its local fair share payment and an increase
in equalization funds.
We knew if we could weather the storm, in 2016-17, we should
benefit,” she said.
“That is wonderful, wonderful news, but it is unofficial until we
get the final numbers,” she warned.
Should those figures hold, it will further enhance the city
school system’s financial recovery dating back to the beginning
of the 2013-2014 school year, when the system had a negative
fund balance of $247,000 caused primarily by state funding
cuts caused by the Great Recession. Through reductions in
force, property tax hikes, and a shortened school calendar, the
system began recovering. It ended the 2014-15 school year with
more than $775,000 in reserves and by October 2015 was in the
black by $1.5 million. As of the end of February the board had
reserves of $2.6 million.
Last month, the board voted to eliminate the last of its fur
lough days for the 2016-17 school year, giving both students and
staff a full calendar for the first time since 200869.
In other financial news, the system received an $86,684
distribution from the education local option sales tax (ELOST),
bringing its balance to $929,617. While the distribution was lower
than normal, Tolbert pointed out that it is in line with prior Febru
ary distributions, which are based on retail sales made primarily
during January.
That revenue is used to help pay off system bonds.
Local election qualifying
WJ fire chief to challenge Crow
in commission chairman's race
Mangum draws challenge from Democrat Randy Moore
'State of City'
address on
tap Monday
Commerce Mayor Clark
Hill will present the 2016
“State of the City” address
Monday night at 6 in the
Commerce Room of the
Commerce Civic Center.
The event will take place
at the city council’s regular
meeting. Hill will present it
prior to the council getting
into its regular agenda.
The State of the City
address has become an
annual event since Hill was
first elected mayor.
Officials set
meeting on
new dog law
Confused about what Com
merce’s revised animal con
trol ordinance has to say that
might affect your pooch? The
Commerce Police Depart
ment has scheduled a town
hall meeting next week so
animal owners can get the
lowdown on the ordinance
and get any questions
answered.
The event will take place
Tuesday, March 29, at 6 p.m.
in the auditorium of the Com
merce Public Library, 1344
South Broad Street.
Police department admin
istrative staff and animal con
trol officer Roger Gaither will
explain the ordinance and
ask questions.
The animal control ordi
nance became effective Feb.
1 and provides a mechanism
for declaring dogs “vicious”
or “dangerous” based on
their history and stipulates
how they shall be controlled.
The city updated the
animal control ordinance
after an incident on Spring
Street where a dog that had
already bitten two people
chased a couple of kids.
One of the kids’ fathers
shot the dog when he went
to talk to the owner and
the dog acted aggressively
toward him. Officials said
the ordinance needed to be
updated to give the city’s
animal control officer the
ability to do his job.
INDEX
Church News 7B
Classified Ads... 9-1 OB
Crime News 6-7A
Obituaries 8B
Opinion 4A
School 8-9A
Sports 1-5B
Social News. 10-11A
MAILING LABEL BELOW
Ben Stephens, chief
of the West Jackson Fire
Department, has qualified
to mn against Tom Crow
in the May 24 election for
chairman of the Jackson
County Board of Commis
sioners.
Both Stephens and Crow
qualified as Republicans. No
Democrats have qualified
for the seat.
For the District 1 Board
of Commissioners seat,
incumbent Jim Hix (R) will
face challengers Janet Hunt,
of Talmo, and Dan Torbett,
of Jefferson, who both qual
ified as Republicans.
In the race for Jackson
County sheriff, Randy
Moore (D) qualified to mn
against incumbent Janis
Mangum (R).
In the Georgia House of
Representatives District 31
race, incumbent Tommy
Benton, will face challenger
Wes Lewis of Commerce.
Both qualified as Republi
cans.
In the race for State Sen
ator, District 50, incumbent
John K. Wilkinson (R) and
challenger Roy Benifield
(R) qualified
Other candidatess who
qualified and have no oppo
sition include:
• Clerk of courts, incum
bent Camie Thomas (R)
• Tax commissioner,
incumbent Candace Taylor
(R)
• Coroner, incumbent
Keith Whitfield (R)
• State Court solicitor,
incumbent Don Moore (R)
•BOC, District 2, Chas
Hardy (R)
•County board of edu
cation, incumbent Lynne
Wheeler (R)
•County board of edu
cation, incumbent Michael
Cronic (R)
•Surveyor, Scott Wood
(R)
• Magistrate judge, Sherri
Thurmond Smith (non-par
tisan)
• State Court Judge,
incumbent Rob Alexander
(non-partisan)
•Probate judge, incum
bent Sherry Moore
(non-partisan)
• District attorney, incum
bent Brad Smith
Fire Board Qualifiers
Several fire board races
will be on the ballot. Those
who have qualified for those
positions include:
• Nicholson, Post 4,
Marty Seagraves
• Nicholson, Post 5,
Roger Brock
•Jackson Trail, Post 1,
Smitty Stephens
•Jackson Trail, Post 2,
Patricia Hall
•Jackson Trail, Post 3,
Joshua LeBlanc
• Harrisburg, Post 9,
Dan Scott Sailors
• Harrisburg, Post 6, John
Watson
• Harrisburg, Post 7, Alan
Trammell
• Randolph, Post 3,
Michael Glover
•Hoschton, Post 3, Tim
Sweat
•South Jackson, Post 4,
R. Hubert Edwards Jr.
•South Jackson, Post 5,
Timmy Rosser
•North Jackson, Post 5,
Robert McEver Jr.
•North Jackson, Post 6,
Robert “Chip” McEver III
•North Jackson, Post 7,
Lengrin Maddox
•North Jackson, Post 8,
Dennis Elrod
•Arcade, Post 2, Douglas
Martin
•East Jackson Fire Dis
trict, Archie McCook
•West Jackson, Robert
Bicknell
• Plainview, Post 2,
Dwight Langford
• Plainview, Post 3, Craig
“Buzzard” Sewell
Jobless rate
up slightly
Jackson County’s unem
ployment rate rose slightly
between December and Jan
uary, according to the Georgia
Department of Labor. That was
counter to a drop in the jobless
rate statewide.
According to DOL, Jackson
County’s January jobless rate
was 4.3 percent, up from 4.1
percent in December, but still
fifth-lowest in Georgia. The
statewide rate, meanwhile,
rose three-tenths of a percent
to 5.5 percent for January.
Other area counties and
their jobless rates for January
are:
•Banks, 4.9 percent, up
from 4.7
•Barrow, 4.7 percent, up
from 4.5
•Hall, 4.5 percent, up
from 4.3
•Gwinnett, 4.7 percent, up
from 4.6
• Athens-Clarke, 5.1 percent,
down from 5.2
•Madison, 4.7 percent, up
from 4.5
Oconee County with a job
less rate of 3.9 percent (up
from 3.7 percent in Decem
ber), continued to have the
lowest rate in Georgia. Webster
County claimed the highest
unemployment rate at 8.7 per
cent.
