Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS • THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
2,000 chidken plates sold
Commerce firemen were up early Saturday morning cooking chicken for other volunteers prepared 2,000 plates which patrons picked up at the Public
the department’s 40th annual chickenque. The firemen, their families and Safety Complex.
Chamber scratches Taste of
Jackson for tribute to 'Heroes'
New event seen as potential big fundraiser
Instead of the Taste of
Jackson, the Jackson County
Area Chamber of Commerce
will pay tribute to public safe
ty personnel this October
with the first Hometown
Hero Awards event.
Modeled on a Gwin
nett County program, the
Hometown Hero event
will be either a breakfast
or lunch — to be decided
later — that the chamber
hopes will have community
buy-in from local municipal
ities, police, fire and rescue
departments as well as the
911 department.
“It’s all about honoring
them,” Melissa Britt, director
of member services, told the
chamber’s board of direc
tors last Friday. “It really is a
feel-good event. We always
(when she worked for the
Gwinnett chamber) left as a
staff feeling real good.”
The event could offer a
number of awards, including
a “medal of valor,” “public
safety unit of the year,” “out
standing community service
award” and even a “life-sav
ing award,” Britt told the
directors.
What’s more, the awards
would be peer-selected, with
representatives from the
county’s public safety groups
selecting the winners in their
respective categories.
Part of the incentive is
to replace a fundraiser on
which revenues have fallen.
Britt said the event “is huge”
in Gwinnett County.
“The idea is to involve the
entire community,” she said.
“It is not just the chamber
promoting another event to
the same group of people.
We would be reaching out to
every community.”
Chamber leadership
believes that it will be easy to
sell sponsorships. Chairman
Bill Cornell suggested that
his company would likely
serve as the presenting spon
sor (at $2,500) because he
said it does a lot of work with
emergency personnel.
Sponsorships range from
that level down to $500.
Admission would be $7 for
chamber members, with a
cost yet to be determined for
non-members. Public safety
personnel would be admit
ted at no charge.
“One thing we need to
think about is that getting
table sponsors is critical,”
Cornell told the group. “We
want the public safety peo
ple to come without paying.
I think it would be a great
event, but I would love your
thoughts.”
As for the Taste of Jack-
son, it is not necessarily
dead. The board heard sug
gestions that the October
fundraisers could be rotated
among two or more events.
Spring Jam
The directors also dis
cussed the chamber’s sec
ond annual Spring Jam, set
for Thursday, May 5, from
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Bouchard
Farms in Commerce. Billed
as a “reverse raffle and net
working event,” the Spring
Jam features a reverse raffle
valued at $10,000.
Britt stressed the need to
sell as many of the $100 raffle
tickets as possible.
“We need to sell 30-40
more to get where we were
last year, but we did not reach
our goal last year,” Britt said,
adding that the chamber staff
is “making phone calls and
giving friendly reminders” to
promote ticket sales.
The $100 ticket covers
admission, the reverse raffle,
food and beverages, but peo
ple not participating in the
$10,000 raffle can gain entry
for $10. There will be a vari
ety of other raffles as well,
with individual tickets being
sold for each. A weeklong
house rental at Fripp Island,
SC, valued at $3,000 will be
auctioned.
New Projects
President/CEO Jim Shaw
reported that the chamber
began work on two new
economic development
projects — one in manufac
turing and one in distribu
tion — over the past month.
It is currently working on
14 active new projects and
five expansions of existing
industries.
“These numbers you see
here are going to tend to fluc
tuate more as we go through
and weed out projects that
really aren’t projects,” Shaw
advised. “We are updating
our database and going back
to the project members to
see what the status is.”
American Legion to host Memorial Day parade on May 30
The American Legion Post 56 is planning a Memorial Day
parade in Jefferson.
The parade will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday May 30. The
City of Jefferson will be the co-host for the parade.
The American Legion is also planning a Memorial Day
Observance for 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the headquarters in
Jefferson.
Memorial Day is a day set a side each year to honor the men
and women who served the country and made the ultimate
sacrifice so that Americans may have freedom and liberties.
Jackson tax office
accepts online payments
The Jackson County Tax Commissioner’s office now
offers payment services online for all departments.
“This is a new learning process for our department we
ask to please be patient as we educate our department on
how to make services more efficient for the taxpayers of
Jackson County,” tax commissioner Candace Taylor said.
The motor vehicle tag renewals can be paid online
through the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles web
site, www.dor.georgia.gov/motor-vehicles, by using the
“Online Services - Tag Renewals” option.
To be able to renew online, you must obtain your RIN
number which will be located on your mailed renewal two
months before your registration date or by contacting our
office within two months of your renewal period.
Taxpayers are also able to pay property and mobile
home taxes directly through the tax commissioner’s web
site, www.jacksoncountygatax.com.
Jim Dove named to
development group board
Jim Dove, executive director of the Northeast Georgia
Regional Commission in Athens, was elected to the Nation
al Association of Development Organization’s (NADO)
board of directors on April 13.
Founded in 1967, NADO provides advocacy, education,
research, and training for the nation’s 540 regional devel
opment organizations. NADO member organizations serve
local governments and the public within their regions
through various programs focused on diversifying local
economies, assisting businesses, creating jobs, and provid
ing community services.
The NADO board of directors oversees the association’s
budget and operations and develops policy on issues
affecting regional development organizations.
Dove lives in Nicholson. His two-year term begins May 1.
CAROLYN
HOOPER
FOR
PROBATE JUDGE
25 Years of Experience
in the Banks and Hall County court systems
The Experience To Serve
It has been such a blessing meeting all the wonderful citizens
of Banks County, during my campaign for Sheriff, for the past
few weeks. I have heard your concerns, your wants, and meeds
for better Law Enforcement in this county and I guarantee
that all of your requests will be met and more when elected
Sheriff of this great county
Thanks again for all your support and put on your calendar to
vote for me.
Early voting starts May 2 and the General
Local Primary voting day is May 24.
MAY 24, 2016
GENERAL PRIMARY & NONPARTISAN ELECTION
EARLY/ADVANCED VOTING
May 9, 2016 Begin Absentee Mail Ballots
May 2, 2016 In Person Voting Begins
May 14, 2016 Saturday Voting
May 20, 2016 In Person Voting Ends
May 20, 2016 Last Day to Mail Out a Ballot
May 24, 2016 Election Day All Precincts Open
All in person voting will be held at the Registrars Office,
226 Candler Street, Homer, Monday thru Friday 8:00 - 5:00.
Saturday Voting Hours
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Election Day All Precincts
Open 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.