Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 5A
Tax assessors Discuss CUVA Applications
Banks County’s Chief Tax Appraiser Guy Rogers (L) discussed adding additional documentation
requirements to Conservation Use Value Assessment (CUVA) applications during the monthly meeting
of the Banks County Board of Tax Assessors. Also shown (L-R) are: Becky Carlan, Banks County Tax
Commissioners; board of assessors members Sam Moon, Martha Threatt and Len Dalton; and board
secretary Nancy Sims.
Tax assessors discuss additional
conservation use requirements
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Banks County Board of Tax
Assessors, at the monthly meeting on
July 13, discussed making changes to
the documentation required when fil
ing a Conservation Use Value Assess
ment (CUVA) application.
The change in the documentation
required is being made to help clear
up issues with property that is less
than 10 acres.
“CUVA has stuck in my craw for a
long time,” board member Sam Moon
said.
Moon said he had an issue approv
ing less than 10 acres for a CUVA.
Moon said if a person has a cow, a
horse and a goat on 2-3 acres that is
not a farming operation.
“Can we legally say as of say Janu
ary 1, 2018, and forward it must be 10
acres,” Moon said. “And nothing less.”
Chief appraiser Guy Rogers said he
was working on some recommenda
tions to bring before the board at a
later meeting concerning CUVA appli
cations.
“I recommend a Timber Manage
ment Program before going into a
timber CUVA,” Rogers said.
Rogers told the board that Nancy
Sims, office coordinator, was already
going out and “actually laying eyes”
on the questionable property when a
CUVA is applied for.
Rogers said he was also working on
a form to be completed by the CUVA
applicant that has additional questions
to help clear up issues with property
that is less than 10 acres.
“You can’t keep reducing the tax
base,” Moon said. “Something has got
to stop.”
“I have mammoth problems with
this,” Moon added.
Board chairman Len Dalton recom
mended requiring a Schedule F Tax
Form from applicants requesting a
CUVA for less than 10 acres.
“This should show if the land is
being used for farming,” Dalton said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the monthly
meeting, the board:
•approved a request from Ben
Brown to swap .5 acre with his cousin
in order to meet additional setback
requirements for property he plans to
give to his daughter. Brown’s property
is under a CUVA, but it was deter
mined the changes being proposed
would not cause him to breach the
CUVA.
• unanimously approved several
appeal settlements. Rogers told the
group that additional information was
needed to complete an audit for AT&T
for 2014, 2015 and 2016. He said a con
fidentiality letter from Traylor Business
Services would be sent to AT&T on
this matter.
•approved five affidavits of correc
tion, along with 2016 CUVA applica
tions and 2016 homestead exemptions.
• unanimously approved several
2016 change of assessments for real
and personal property.
•received notice from Rogers that
the preliminary digest will go to tax
commissioner Becky Carlan this week.
Rogers also told the board that he
had discovered some inconsistency in
commercial values and this would be
corrected in 2017.
Alto council approves
zoning ordinance
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Alto City Council
approved, at the July 12
meeting, the zoning ordi
nance.
A public hearing on
the matter was held prior
to the meeting. No one
turned out to speak for
or against the proposed
zoning ordinance.
The ordinance was
approved unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business
at the monthly council
meeting:
•Mayor Audrey Turn
er advised the council
that an email had been
sent to a representative
with the Habersham
County Economic Devel
opment Commission
asking to reduce the
$3,000 amount request
ed from the city to $1,500
per year for three years.
The funds have been
requested to help with
financial support and
to allow Alto to have a
place at the table with the
EDC board. Turner said
she felt like the $3,000
request was too high for
a small city like Alto.
• the council approved
the transfer of $30,000
from the city’s enterprise
fund to the general fund.
•the council held the
first reading of the city’s
erosion and sedimenta
tion control ordinance.
The ordinance is man
dated by the Georgia
Environmental Protec
tion Division, city attor
ney David Syfan report
ed.
• the council unan
imously approved a
revision to the city’s
bank account signature
cards to remove former
mayor pro-tem Margaret
Beaupre and add mayor
pro-tem Carolyn Cabe.
•police chief Tim
Vaughn presented the
monthly police depart
ment report for June, that
included the following:
109 calls from dispatch;
65 officer generated
calls; 43 traffic stops; two
safety checks; 17 cita
tions issued; two arrests;
1,640 miles patrolled;
and 25,000 GCIC histo
ries.
BOE approves
personnel items
The Banks Coun
ty Board of Education
approved several person
nel items at its July meet
ing, including the follow
ing:
• Certified - Declina
tion: Pam Adams - 49%
teacher, effective 2016-2017
school year.
•Certified - New Hire:
Stacy Smith - teacher,
effective 2016-2017 school
year.
• Classified - New Hires:
Summer Humphries -
SFN Nutrition Assistant,
effective 2016-2017 school
year; Cindy King - Bus
Monitor, effective 2016-2017
school year; and James
Dillon Nicholson - Tech
nology Specialist, effective
July 18, 2016.
• Certified - Resigna
tion: Joe Lord - teacher,
effective end of 2015-2016
school year.
No decision yet on Reems petition
A mling is expected later this
week on whether a petition filed by
William Reems to get on the ballot
to run against board of chairman
incumbent Jimmy Hooper in the
November election is valid.
Reems has 570 signatures on
the petition. The law requires
that 439 names be on the peti
tion in order to get on the ballot
as an Independent candidate.
However, the signatures must
be verified by the Banks County
Board of Elections before his
name goes on the ballot. The
board will verify that the signa
tures are the names of regis
tered voters.
Households eligible to receive food
Household Size
Monthly Income
Weekly Income
1
$1,276
$295
2
$1,726
$399
3
$2,177
$503
4
$2,628
$607
5
$3,078
$711
6
$3,529
$815
7
$3,980
$919
8
$4,430
$1,023
Each additional member add $451
add $104
What to look for during roof inspections
Banks Co. offering
food and clothing to
low-income households
Cold weather can be tough on
a home, and perhaps no part of a
home is more vulnerable to harsh
winter weather than its roof.
Fallen snow can equate to sever
al pounds of pressure placed on a
residential roof. Roofs do not often
collapse under heavy snowfall. But
adverse winter weather conditions
can compromise roofs in other
ways. Water leakage and damage
to the roof’s interior are just two of
the potentially problematic issues
that can arise when roofs are bat
tered by cold, blustery weather.
That’s why many home improve
ment specialists advise homeown
ers to conduct roof inspections
prior to the start of winter.
Many homeowners can con
duct their own cursory roof
inspections, but they may not
know exactly what to look for.
The National Roofing Contractors
Association says that there are cer
tain key areas to inspect that may
reveal some telltale signs of roof
damage.
•Curled, cracked or missing
shingles may prove troublesome.
Inclement weather can test the
strength of even the most durable
roofs. Even though many roofs are
designed to last up to 30 years,
some may need to be replaced
early, particularly when they have
been exposed to harsh weather
over a period of years. Individual
shingles can be replaced as spot
treatments, but if the damage is
widespread, a new roof may be
necessary.
•Attic leaks or water elsewhere
might signal issues with the roof.
Figure out if water inside the home
is coming from the roof. Water
stains do not always indicate prob
lems with the roofing, but it’s better
to be safe than sorry.
•Look for protective granules
wearing off. If gutters are filled with
the sandy granular material that
coats roofing shingles, that may be
a sign of an aging or damaged roof.
•Inspect flashing. Professional
roofers can recognize properly
installed flashing, the material that
connects the roof to other parts of
the house that adjoin the roof, like
skylights or a chimneys. Poorly
installed flashing can cause leaks.
Stains that appear below chimneys
or near attic windows may indicate
new flashing, and not new shin
gles, is needed.
• Gutters and downspouts
should be in good condition. A
roof is the sum of its parts, and
that includes downspouts and
gutters. If the gutters are clogged
or damaged, they cannot direct
water away from the house prop
erly. Snow, leaves and other debris
needs to be cleared from gutters
to help them function at optimal
capacity.
•Animals and insects can
cause damage, too. It’s not just
poor weather that homeowners
need to consider with regard to
roof damage. Boring insects and
animals may cause problems with
roofs as well. A roof inspection
may shed light on potential pest
problems. Holes or nesting mate
rials may indicate that an animal
or animals are using the attic as a
shelter from the elements.
Get to the root of issues with
your home’s roof before they
become bigger problems once
winter arrives. A thorough inspec
tion can reveal problems that may
prove costly if ignored.
Inspect a roof each fall to get an
idea of the potential damage and
any necessary repairs that may
be needed before nasty weather
sets in.
The Banks County Com
munity Resource Association
will distribute food and school
clothes for Banks County fami
lies only on Saturday, July 30,10
a.m. at Temple Baptist Church,
located at 310 Temple Road,
Homer. If your gross house
hold income is at or below the
income listed for the number of
people in your household, you
are eligible to receive food.
Only one box of food is
to be served per 911 address
(household). If you have
more than one family living at
your address only one person
needs to pickup food for the
household. Proof of residence
(GA ID, GA Driver’s license,
power bill, water bill, gas bill, a
bill with your service physical
address - P O boxes are not
accepted) will be required of
everyone in order to receive
food. For more information
please call Robin Trotter at 678-
316-7187
Area travel baseball
team holding tryouts
The Georgia Blasters, an area travel baseball team for 9-year-olds,
will hold tryouts for its spring season on Aug. 13 at First Baptist Church
in Commerce.
For more information, contact Alain Pope at 706-286-5727 or at
alain@uga.edu.
$ 5 00 0FF
Ticket Oi‘2(f° Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only.
La Hacienda Commerce La Hacienda Braselton
173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 5391 Highway 53
706-335-7458 706-654-0070
I The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. |
%
ARNELL % DESI0<S Ask abmt
EMORIALS ] gmZl
purchase.
An MBD Enterprises Co.
Serving this community since 1962.
Office located at 220 Hwy. 441 S.
in Commerce, GA. 706-335-4066
Hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday By appointment only • Closed Sunday
**We accept M/C, Visa and offer a lay-a-way plan.