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VOL. 105, NO. 32, FEBRUARY 25, 2008 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY MILLEN, GEORGIA • 75 CENTS Local students receive Augusta State Honor Each year Augusta State University, as part of their Black History Month Celebration, recog nizes two African-American high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement with the highest grade point aver age at each of the high schools in the CSRA. This year the award is bestowed upon Jenkins County High School students Porshea Cooper, right, and Breonna Smart. The recipients along with their parents are invited to Augusta State University campus for recognition 7 p.m. Feb. 26, in the JSAC Ballroom located in the Jaguar Student Activities Center on campus. (Staffphoto by Deborah Bennett) No change in due date for taxes By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor Local property owners will have to continue to dig deep in their pockets at Christmas time to pay property taxes, normally due Dec. 20 each year. The Jenkins County Commissioners decided against changing the due date during their Tuesday. Feb. 17, meeting. Chairman James Henry re ported the Jenkins County Tax Assessor had advised that changing the date would cre ate too many complications, due to state requirements and the time period involved in preparing the tax digest. Based upon his recommenda tion. the commissioners ap proved a motion to leave the due date at Dec. 20. Darryl Drake of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) presented a request from the group seeking permission to fly the Confederate flags at the Confederate monument during the month of April, Confederate Heritage and History Month. The request was approved 3-2 with the stipulation that placards ex plaining the significance of each flag be displayed as well. Commissioners Tommy Lane. Floyd Chance and Chairman JJenry voted in fa vor. Commissioners Domingo Green and Pam Dwight op posed. Drake also requested per mission to remove three shrubs at the Confederate monument to make room for three commemorative mark ers the SCV desired to place at the site. Previous approval had been granted for the placement of one marker without removal of shrubs. Approval was granted pro vided written consent of the United Daughters of Confed eracy was obtained and a dia gram of the lay-out for the markers was presented for re view. IN OTHER ACTION • Awarded bid for landfill soil removal project to Oak Hill Construction at a cost of $900; •Tabled action on awarding bid for courthouse ar chitectural service until the commissioners could visit sites bidders previously worked on; and •Approved engineering for Landfill Road to be per formed by Parker Engineering. Yesteryear’s opens for business The Millen-Jenkins County Chamber of Commerce recently sponsored a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Yesteryear’s Fine Used Furniture, 813 Cotton Avenue. From left, are Lamar Faircloth, City of Millen administrator; Clay Boulineau, chamber director; Doris Ward; Harold Moore, owner; and Paula Herrington, chamber executive director. Hours of operation are 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays and 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Satur days. (Staff photo by Deborah Bennett) Governor signs HB 143 By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor Property owners across the state will not get additional prop erty tax bills for 2008. Last week, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law HB 143 that will fund Homeowner Tax Relief Grants (HTRG) for 2008. "By passing this legislation and the Governor signing it, we make good on our commitment to homeowners to continue to fight for lower property taxes, thus keeping citizens in their homes, especially during this economical crisis.” commented Rep. Jon Burns. "Signing into law HB 143 guarantees payment of the $428 million in homeowner’s tax relief grant to local governments for this year only. While continuing to express his opposition to the tax relief grants, the governor acknowledged the receipt of federal funding (economic stimulus package) helped in his decision to sign the bill,” said Sen. J.B. Powell. The Jenkins County Commissioners approved the HTRG exemption for local property owners in September 2008 even though Gov. Perdue had frozen state funding for the program. They did so with hopes that the Georgia Legislature would re store the funding when it convened in 2009. The HTRG amounts appropriated by the state are used as a credit to reduce property taxes for which a homestead taxpayer is otherwise liable. It is normally shown as a “credit” on prop erty tax bills. Locally, that credit amounted to $189.60 in 2008. Loss of the homestead exemption grants could have cost the governing bodies of the county, including the City of Millen and school system, approximately $311.321 in revenue that they would have gotten from the state. JCHS named AP Honor School By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor State School Superintendent Kathy Cox announced recently that Jenkins County High School (JCHS) was among 80 schools in the state that had earned the Advance Placement (AP) Honor School designation. AP classes offer college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3. 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit. AP classes and exams are adminis tered by the College Board. JCHS earned the 2009 AP Honor School designation in the “AP Access and Support School” category. Schools in this cat egory have 30 percent of their AP test-takers that are African- American or Hispanic and at least 30 percent of all AP exams scoring 3 or higher. In commenting on the accomplishment, JCHS Principal Dr. Joey Kirkland said, "JCHS is honored to be recognized by the Georgia Department of Education for having a large number of African-Americans taking and scoring extremely well on AP exams. JCHS strives to meet the needs of all of its students. It is easy to focus much of the school improvement efforts on those students who are struggling and in need of extra help, but JCHS always seeks opportunities to advance our brightest students who need a challenging curriculum as well. Many of our students are taking advance courses on Geor gia Virtual School and through college courses.” “Georgia is making tremendous strides with AP-not only in the number of students taking the courses, but in the number of students having success,” commented Superintendent Cox. Georgia ranked 15 th nationally in the percentage of 2008 high school seniors that had at least one AP exam with a score of 3 or more. Robert Jenkins appointed to Regional Water Council By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor Jenkins County will be rep resented on the Savannah-Up per Ogeechee Regional Water Council by Robert Jenkins, manager of Hanging Rocks Plantation. Creation of 10 water planning re gions was man dated by the Com prehensive State wide Water Man agement Plan, ap proved by the General Assembly in 2008. Each re gion will have a water planning council to repre sent the water interests of the respective regions. Each council will consist of 25 members, three alternates and an ex-officio member from the House and Senate. Rep. Tom McCall and Sen. Ralph Hudgens will serve on the Sa vannah Upper Ogeechee Re gional Water Council. The councils will oversee preparation of water develop ment and conservation plans that will focus on both water quantity and water quality is sues for their respective re gions. The plans will also in- “The individuals we have selected are solution-oriented and will provide visionary water resource planning.” - Governor Sonny Perdue elude forecasts of future wa ter supply and wastewater treatment needs. “The individuals we have selected are solution-oriented and will provide visionary water resource planning,” said Gov. Sonny Perdue. “These appointments reflect a diverse group of Georgians and each one has a unique skill set and knowledge base, which will allow the councils to focus on water resource is sues while also addressing the state’s economic needs.” Under requirements of the plan, the Governor selects 13 members of each council and one alternate mem ber. The Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives se lects the remaining council members including non-vot ing ex officio mem bers. Other counties in the Sa vannah-Upper Ogeechee Re gional Water Region include: Stephens, Banks, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Elbert, Oglethorpe. Wilkes. Lincoln, Taliaferro, Columbia, McDuffie. Warren, Rich mond, Glascock, Jefferson, Burke and Screven. 11—i “ Regional Water Councils 1 Const - PttJfthTJEoroU