Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3A
No tax rate hike from BOC
Hardy protests lack of funds for EMS supervisors
BY ANGELA GARY
With a projected six per
cent increase in its tax digest,
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners is proposing
the leave its millage rates the
same as last year. The rates
are 9.7 mills unincorporated
and 11.21 mills incorporated.
The BOC will hold a public
hearing on the budget at 6
p.m. on Monday Oct. 3, at
the courthouse, and at noon
on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at
the auditorium in the Admin
istrative Building. The vote
on the proposed budget and
millage rate will be held at 6
p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12,
at the courthouse.
But one BOC member
was upset at Monday night’s
called meeting that super
visors for the EMS depart
ment weren’t included in the
FY2017 budget.
Commissioner Chas
Hardy questioned why a
proposal discussed earlier to
include supervisors in the
EMS/EMA department was
not included in the budget.
Chairman Tom Crow and
commissioner Dwain Smith
both said that supervisors
are not needed in the depart
ment.
“There was a proposal
made,” Hardy said. “Who
decided we weren’t going to
put it in the budget?”
County manager Kevin
Poe said, “The feedback I
received was that there wasn’t
a consensus to do that. That
is what this process is about.
There are things y’all can add
in. There is time for adjust
ments to be made.”
Hardy said that the BOC
decided earlier to raise collec
tion rates to cover the costs to
add supervisor positions.
“We raised collection
rates and said we could hire
supervisors,” he said. “Who
made the decision not to
do that? I’d like to be a part
of the discussion. As the
budget process rolled along,
this didn’t get placed in the
budget.”
Hardy asked for a copy the
earlier proposal of the EMS/
EMA department for super
visors to review before the
next BOC meeting.
“I want a copy of that pro
posal since I wasn’t a part of
that discussion-making pro
cess,” Hardy said. “I didn’t
think we had carte blanche
authority to make a deci
sion.”
Budget Highlights
Highlights from the pro
posed budget include:
•a four-percent cost-of-
living raise for all certified
public safety employees and
a three-percent raise for all
other employees.
•vehicle and equipment
purchases for the following
departments: cooperative
extension, one van; sheriff,
12 patrol vehicles; correc
tional institute, one SUV;
road department, a crack
sealer and two salt boxes;
fleet department, one crew
cab pickup; EMS, one ambu
lance; and transfer station,
tractor with front-end loader.
•new positions for the
county manager’s office,
property appraisal, tax com
missioner, sheriff, public
defender, roads, E-911 and
parks and recreation depart
ments.
•a projected $100,000
increase in local option sales
tax revenues.
Kiwanis Club briefed on Foothills School
Looking for a few good men (or women)
Army recruiter Staff Sgt. Robert Ibarra, a graduate of Madison County
High School, was a recent guest speaker at the Jackson site of Foothills
Charter Education High School. He is shown speaking with several students
after his presentation. Foothills is located on the campus of East Jackson
Comprehensive High School.
Members of the Com
merce Kiwanis Club got an
overview of the Foothills Edu
cation Charter High School
last Thursday when superin
tendent Sherrie Gibney-Sher-
man spoke.
Foothills — modeled after
Mountain Education Charter
High School in North Geor
gia — is a high school where
students for whom traditional
high schools did not work
can take classes at their own
time and pace and earn their
high school diplomas.
Foothills has seven cam
puses, one of which is in a
wing of East Jackson Com
prehensive High School. It is
an accredited institution with
certified instructors.
“When you hear charter,
think flexibility” Gibney-Sher-
man advised.
The flexibility is across the
board. Students select the
courses they want to take,
they take them when they
want to take them and they
proceed at their own pace.
Students do not fail. If they fail
a test, they re-take it until they
master the materials. The
school offers “rolling admis
sion,” which means students
can enroll at any time.
One of its goals is to attract
kids ages 14-21 who dropped
out of traditional schools and
encourage them to complete
their coursework.
“This is the second
chance for these kids to get
a high school diploma,” Gib-
ney-Sherman said, adding
that: “The number one rea
son” for choosing Foothills
is so they can work at their
own pace.
Hours are 4-9 Mondays
through Thursdays, which
appeals to kids who have
jobs and can’t handle the 8-3
schedule of most schools.
Many of the students have
children.
Gibney-Sherman stressed
that Foothills is neither an
alternative high school nor a
GED program. Students who
act out are told to leave, that
it’s “not a good day.”
Gibney-Sherman pointed
out that the GED is “not a
sure pathway anymore,” that
students wishing to enter the
military or continue their edu
cation may not be able to do
that lacking a real high school
diploma.
Foothills has seven cam
puses, including two at pris
ons, and one each in Clarke,
Jackson, Madison, Barrow
and Baldwin counties, and is
considering additional loca
tions. Students can attend
Foothills regardless of where
they live.
The school offers instruc
tors on a 1:15 ratio with stu
dents, though it’s 1:7 in math
classes. Last year, it graduated
135 students. Gibney-Sher
man predicted 200 would
graduate this school year. Of
its 425 employees, only seven
are full-time. Its staff, all of
whom are accredited, com
prises retired teachers and
teachers who are employed
in other schools. Its board
contains five superintendents
of schools, representatives
of the Georgia Department
of Corrections and of the
Regional Education Service
Agency (RESA). After this
year, it will be accredited by
the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Staff actively seeks stu
dents, Gibney-Sherman
explained, going to commu
nities to ask which students
need Foothills’ services.
Foothills’ Goals
The goals of Foothills Edu
cation Charter High School
include:
• making sure all students
are college and career ready
• providing support to
enable students to assess
academic and career needs
to achieve success
•to ensure each student
has access to federal and
state programs
•to be “effective stewards”
of all resources
•to maintain highly quali
fied leadership, governance
board, faculty and staff
•to provide outreach to
promote awareness and utili
zation of its programs
The schools also offer
“credit recovery” for students
still attending a traditional
high school. That means a
student who failed a class can
go to Foothills — while still
attending the traditional high
school — and make up cred
its that could enable them
to graduate with their class
mates.
“Some of them take one
course from us and they can
graduate with their peers,”
Gibney-Sherman said.
The Jackson County cam
pus has 156 students enrolled.
Earlier this year, 19 students
at the East Jackson campus
received their high school
diplomas.
Overall, Foothills students
from 81 different schools
earned 2,350 credits.
Like other schools, Foot
hills asks it students to take
surveys about how they feel
about the school.
“They like us,” Gib
ney-Sherman said. “Nobody
has to be with us.”
PINK cancer fundraiser is Thursday
Tanger Outlets and
Northridge Medical Center
have announced that they are
partnering for the second year
to host a fundraising event on
Thursday, Sept. 29, to bene
fit the Cancer Foundation of
Northeast Georgia. The “PINK
FASHION GALA” will take
place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
at the Tanger Outlet Center
in Commerce. The evening
will consist of a cocktail hour
featuring appetizers and treats,
a silent auction, all followed
by a fashion show. Tickets to
the PINK FASHION GALA will
cost $20 and will go on sale
beginning Aug. 1 at both Tan
ger Outlets and the Northridge
Medical Center.
According to Tanger Outlets
general manager Mark Val
entine, Q-100-FM Radio has
signed on to be the media
sponsor and mid-day on-air
personality Rachel Ryan will
be on hand and will play a role
in the pregram as emcee.
One hundred percent of
the proceeds will go directly
to cancer patients and their
families through the Cancer
Foundation of Northeast Geor
gia. The mission of the founda
tion is to alleviate the financial
burden of cancer for eligible
patients.
“Our committee has been
working very hard in planning
for this year’s event since Jan
uary and we are very excit
ed about putting on another
extraordinary event where the
community can come togeth
er, have a wonderful evening
out, and help raise money
for a very worthy cause,” said
Tricia Massey director of out
reach for the Northridge Medi
cal Center. “We received such
great feedback from last year’s
event; we just couldn’t wait to
do it again.”
The fashion show will
include a combination of pro
fessional models from Atlanta,
local business persons and
school teachers, and will fea
ture local cancer survivors.
The show will be produced
by Poshe Productions, a top
fashion and entertainment
company based in Atlanta.
According to Valentine,
several local businesses have
already signed on to cospon
sor the event. Sponsors
include: Q-100, CertaPro Paint
ers, Denyse Signs, Mastercraft
Stucco, Town of Braselton,
EMC Security Advanced
Stanchions, Jackson EMC,
Swirlee’s Frozen Yogurt and
Legacy Landscape Manage
ment. Additional sponsorship
information can be obtained
by contacting either Tricia
Massey at Northridge Medical
Center or Mark Valentine at
Tanger Outlets.
Tickets can be purchased
in advance at the following
locations:
• Tanger Outlets, 800 Steven
B. Tanger Blvd., Commerce;
Shopper Services Center -
Suite 201
•Northridge Medical Cen
ter 70 Medical Center Dr.,
Commerce; administrative
offices and hospital gift shop
Age restrictions
removed from
housing grant program
Age limitations have been removed on a federal program
providing grants to low-income homeowners to rehab their
houses in Commerce, the city’s planning director reports.
“They took off the age requirement. Now it’s just the income
requirement,” said David Zellner.
That means more people should be eligible to apply for
the grants, which are available for owner-occupied residents
in most of Commerce. Currently Zellner said, 14 such grant
projects are underway.
Zellner serves as the city liaison with Resources, Inc., a
nonprofit group certified by the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development to manage the Community Home
Investment Program housing rehabilitation grants.
Since the program was instituted, the potential grant amounts
have increased.
“There was a limit, but they keep upping it,” said Zellner.
In fact, he said, the largest grant was not a renovation; the
recipient tore down the existing house and built a new one.”
“I don’t know how they were able to pull off the new home,”
Zellner said.
The program is still being funded.
Requirements
“The main issue is home ownership,” Zellner said. The
requirements are:
• The home must be owner-occupied.
• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
• The applicant must meet household income restrictions
on a sliding scale that runs from $21,500 a year for a household
of one to $40,600 for a household of eight.
Mobile homes are not eligible for the program.
Successful applicants can use the funds for repairs to roofs,
heating and air conditioning systems, plumbing, electrical sys
tems, handicap ramps, handicap bathrooms, insulation, floor
systems, leaky windows and doors, abatement of lead-based
paint and for other repairs/improvements.
Commerce became eligible based on U.S. census data
showing a high level of poverty Zellner said.
Applications are available at City Hall of by calling 470-228-
9317. There is no application fee. Mary Ledbetter heads up the
program for Home Development Resources Inc. in Jackson
County. Applications should be returned to Zellner, whose
office is located in the city’s utility department on Cedar Drive.
It takes from just a few weeks to five or six months to get an
application approved, Zellner said
Zoning...
Cont. from Page 1A
They’re looking to pull four to six (building) permits and hit
the ground running.”
“I don’t see a negative; I don’t know of a negative,” offered
chairman Joe Leffew. “I don’t have a problem with it. They
understand our building codes.”
The subdivision contains six other lots with five houses,
which will not be subject to the pending action.
No one from JP Squared attended the meeting. There were
no citizens present to support or oppose the request, which
goes before the city council for a vote on Monday Oct. 17, at 6
p.m. in the Commerce Room of the Commerce Civic Center.
The developer has worked in Barrow County and once
owned Phase Two of Oconee Pointe subdivision in Com
merce, which it eventually sold.
For his part, Zellner suggested that the rezoning and
annexation — and construction of new houses — could be a
beginning of a movement toward Commerce.
“Athens is built out, Oconee County is getting built out. Peo
ple are going to Jefferson,” he said. “I think if we have a nice
subdivision like this. ...that will get people looking up here.”
Adam Fouche made the motion to recommend approval
of the rezoning and annexation request. Jimbo Stephenson
provided the second.
Temporary Change In Meeting Time
The planning commission also agreed to move its meeting
time back to 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month
through December so member Melinda Cochran, who has
classes on Monday evenings, can attend. The planning com
mission will go back to 6 p.m. meetings beginning in January.
Homeless ...
Cont. from Page 1A
in Commerce,” he insisted.
“I guess I never thought about it, other than of (homeless)
people passing through,” said chairman Joe Leffew. “I guess
most homeless people tend to gravitate to cities where they
have homeless shelters.”
“I had no idea,” said planning director David Zellner.
Rollins did not bring the issue up with the idea that the
planning commission was in a position to address home
lessness.
“We (the city) do need to be thinking about it in the
future,” Leffew remarked.
Jobless ...
Cont. from Page 1A
• Banks, 4.9 percent, down from 5.2
• Barrow, 4.6 percent, down from 4.7
• Athens-Clarke, 5.4 percent, down from 5.6
• Hall, 4.4 percent, down from 4.6
• Madison, 4.7 percent, down from 4.9
While Oconee, Cherokee and Forsyth counties claimed
the state’s lowest rate, Clay County in southwest Georgia
had the highest rate at 9.9 percent. That was down from
10.5 percent in July.
Correction
An article in last week’s edition incorrectly stated that Charles
Blair is a member of the new Commerce Hospital Authority.
He is not. Blair is a member of the city’s Public Facilities
Authority.