Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 117 NO. 9 Millen, Ga. 30442 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY SINCE 1903 Wednesday, August 30, 2023 • 750
BOE holds public hearing on millage rate
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
The Jenkins County Board of Edu
cation (BOE) is proposing a Vi mill
increase on the present property tax
rate. A public hearing on the matter
was held on Aug. 17th at the BOE
office.
Superintendent Dr. John Paul Hearn
presented a slide presentation and
outlined the need for the increase
and what it will mean for county
taxpayers.
“The tax rate, or millage, in each
county is set annually by the board
of county commissioners, or other
governing authority of the taxing ju
risdiction, and by the BOE. A tax rate
of one mill represents a tax liability
of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value,”
Hearn said.
The current millage rate is 14.875
mills. The BOE has tentatively set a
millage rate of 14.375 mills which
will result in a tax increase because
of higher property assessments. The
last tax increase by the school system
was in 2014.
State law requires that the school
system maintains a millage rate of at
least 14 mills or lose its equalization
funding.
“If we go below 14 mills, right
off the bat the state is going to take
$614,991 from us,” Hearn said.
Hearn noted that the proposed tax
increase for a home with a fair market
value of $125,000 is approximately
$56 and $45 for a home valued at
$100,000.
He said that the school’s current
millage rate of 14.875 is 97th out
of 159 counties in Georgia, and the
school system’s value SEE
per mill is 131 out MILLAGE,
of 159. The average
value per mill in Geor-
Shown during public hearing, from left, are School Superintendent Dr. John
Paul Hearn, BOE chairman Mary Young, and BOE members Roy Cook, Mike
Reese, and George Parker.
Sheriff Robert Oglesby is shown escorting his granddaughter, Addilee Williams,' oj
to pre-school at the Millen United Methodist Church. Addilee is the daughter ;
of Samantha Oglesby and Justin Williams. She is also the granddaughter of A
Melody Oglesby, wife of Sheriff Oglesby, and Matt and Julie Bird, y y
BOE responds to questions
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
A Jenkins County Board of Edu
cation public hearing on Aug. 17th
to allow public input on a proposed
millage rate increase also addressed
the issue of unanswered questions
submitted by one resident.
Steve Burke addressed the group
with his concerns over the refusal to
answer questions he had previously
submitted to the BOE concerning the
rate increase.
“I am not here to talk about what I
originally intended. I am not here to
complain about the millage increase.
I am here because I cannot get any
answers to my questions,” said Burke.
Burke said that he had been told
that the BOE did not answer ques
tions during public hearings. So, he
had previously submitted a written
list of questions to a BOE employee
to pass along to Superintendent Dr.
John Paul Hearn.
Burke stated that he later received a
phone call from Hearn stating that he
had been advised by the BOE lawyer
not to answer the questions in writ
ing because the answers were avail
able in the BOE minutes of previous
meetings.
After spending many hours reading
the minutes of past BOE meetings,
Burke reported that he had discovered
the answer to only one of the ques
tions he had submitted.
“Don’t you think that I, as a tax-
paying citizen, have the right to ask
questions?” he commented.
Each BOE member and Superin
tendent Heam gave a “yes” response.
Hearn offered to answer any of
Burke’s questions “right now.” He
then stated that he had complete confi
dence in the BOE board members and
the previous school superintendent
and that nothing he said should be
interpreted otherwise.
During the discus
sion, Burke questioned SEE
the BOE’s purchase of BOE
the property on North 8
Incumbents will face
opposition in City Election
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
Politics is heating up in the City of
Millen’s Nonpartisan General Elec
tion to be held Nov 7th. All of the
incumbents seeking re-election are
facing opposition. Nine candidates
are qualified to run in the election.
For Mayor to succeed A. King
Rocker, the candidates are Mike
Dann, Terry Hearn, incumbent
A. King Rocker, and Giovanni R.
Shumake.
For City Council member, District
1, to succeed incumbent Robin Scott,
the candidates are Joel Carter Sr,
incumbent Robin Scott, and Stephen
Thompson.
For City Council member, Dis
trict 2, to succeed incumbent Darrel
Clifton, the candidates are incumbent
Darrel Clifton and Shanelle Carr.
Shumake was a City Councilman
representing District #1 prior to quali
fying as a candidate for the position
of Mayor. Upon qualifying for Mayor,
state law requires that he vacate his
seat on City Council. A Special Elec
tion will be held by the city to fill his
unexpired term.
City residents who are registered to
vote as of Oct. 10th are eligible to vote
in this election. Those who are not
already registered and wish to vote in
the election should do so by Oct. 10th.
Jenkins County Election Superin
tendent Wanda Burke said anyone
who needs to have their name or
address changed should also submit
that information to the Jenkins County
Registrar’s office by Oct. 10th.
JCHS Eagles football
named “Team of the Week”
The Jenkins County High School
(JCHS) varsity football team has been
named the Georgia High School Foot
ball (GHSF) Daily state “Team of the
Week” following the school’s defeat
of Johnson County last Friday night.
Jeff Gable of GHSF Daily along
with sponsors from BSN Sports and
Titan Electric will be in attendance to
present the award today, Aug. 30th, to
JCHS coaches and players. The pre
sentation will be made at the school.
GHSF Daily is an e-newsletter
published weekdays August through
December. Founded in 2009, it has
more than 24,000 subscribers.
(Editor’s Note: Additional details in
next week’s issue.)
State approves $1
million grant for City
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
The City of Millen is the recipient
of a $ 1 million Community Develop
ment Block Grant (CDBG) from the
Georgia Department of Community
Affairs (DCA).
Commissioner Christopher Nunn
announced last week that the city is
among 17 Georgia communities set
to receive more than $33.8 million in
federal grants for approved projects
The project area for the city’s grant
is Waters Avenue to Buckhead to
Drexel Street. Improvements include
water, sewer, flood and drainage, and
street improvements. The project
will benefit 21 persons of whom
17 or 80.95% are low-to-moderate
income persons.
The total project cost is $1,111,000
with $111,000 in matching funds
coming from the city. The matching
funds will come from Special Purpose
Local Option Tax revenue, said City
Manager Jeff Brantley.
“With these grants, we make im
portant investments in infrastructure,
community facilities, and neighbor
hood revitalization,” said Kimberly
Carter, DCA Director of Community
Finance.
The DCA received more than $43
million in requests this fiscal year.
Applications are scored, rated, and
ranked with grants awarded based on
an applicant’s overall ranking.
Over the last 10 years, the CDBG
program provided resources serving
more than 143,000 residents in rural
areas. The program has also supported
the construction and enhancement of
community facilities that serve more
than 741,525 Georgians.
