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Electric Power Bills to Increase for Chattoogans
Chattooga County’s retail
electric consumers will be bur
dened with a 1 2-percent rise in
electric power bills over the
next three months as a result
of a $25 million emergency
rate increase granted Georgia
Power Co. Feb. 13 by the
Georgia Public Service Com
mission (PSC).
In a split vote, the PSC
agreed to grant the power firm
$25 million more in emergency
rate relief in response to claims
by Georgia Power that i
the brink of insolvency, gqj
The increase was es gS 3
on bills that went out Ft " S ®.
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VOLUME 91 NUMBERS
Supermarket
Loses $486
To Robbers
Burglaries continue to
plague Chattooga County law
enforcement officers.
While many Chattoogans
were enjoying a pleasant Valen
tine’s Day with parties and
heart-shaped boxes of candy,
crime held sway in four sep
arate incidents.
On Feb. 14, Reece’s Down
town Foods at 305 S. Com
merce St. reported the theft of
$486.
The Summerville Police De
partment and the Chattooga
County Sheriff’s Department
were notified that two white
males, approximately six feet
tall, with long brown hair and
wearing blue shirts and blue
jeans opened the number four
cash register at the store and
took $486. They then report
edly left the store parking lot
in a silver-colored 1973 or
1974 Corvette with a Florida
tag. The car turned left on
Georgia 48 toward Alabama.
An alert was sent out over
the area radio network. The
two suspects were reported
seen in LaFayette, headed
toward Trenton.
Two men were arrested and
identified in Fort Payne, Ala.,
at 7:30 p.m. Steven M. Rhine
hart and Steven Froehlog were
arrested and charged with theft
by taking. Rhinehart is being
held in DeKalb County, Ala.,
and Froehlog was returned to
the Chattooga County Jail.
In another incident, Mrs.
Sara Nell Hix, who lives 2.5
miles north of Gore on Route
4, reported that her house was
burglarized sometime between
8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Deputy
Johnny Bass, who investigated
the burglary, arrived at the
scene at 5:30 p.m.
Burglars had pried open a
screen on the front of the
house, reached in, and opened
a window. The house was
ransacked.
Local Government
Costs $276 Here
NEW YORK—For residents of Chattooga County, does
the cost of local government run higher or lower than it
does for people in other communities?
How much is spent locally, per capita, for all municipal
and county operations and for all special services? How
large is the local debt compared with the average in other
areas?
A voluminous new report, just released by the Census
Bureau, sheds light on these matters. It is based upon a
detailed study of local finances, gathered from every
county in the United States.
The study, entitled Government Finances, is the first
made since fiscal 1967. They are conducted every five
years.
For people living in Chattooga County, the figures show,
the total cost of local governmental operations came to
$276 per capita in the year.
In the rest of the nation the average was ssll per capita
and, in the State of Georgia, $399.
It took a total of $106.5 billion to operate the various
county, township, municipal and district governments in
the country and provide the public with services in the
fields of health, welfare, roads, sanitation, housing, police
and fire protection, education and the like.
The $106.5 billion outlay represented an increase of $47
billion in a period of five years.
In some communities, the amount spent for local gov
ernmental operations was adequately covered by revenues.
In many others, however, more was spent than was taken
in.
The figures for Chattooga County show that the direct
expenditures, $276 per capita, were offset by general
revenue receipts equivalent to $270 per capita.
Some $137 of this revenue came from local taxes and
charges and the remainder from Federal and state sources.
In order to finance their expenditures for capital im
provements and provide their residents with necessary
services many communities have been forced to go deeper
into debt.
Chattooga County’s outstanding debt is placed at $199
per capita in the report. Nationally, the debt of local
governments averaged SSBO per capita. Throughout the
state it was $317.
and will continue through
April. Exempted from the rate
increase are customers who use
less than 350 kilowatts of
power each month.
Expressing disappointment
at the commission’s decision
Georgia Power had asked SB6
million-GPC President Edwin
I. Hatch said the commis
sioners did not show enough
concern “for a very serious
threat” to Georgia’s electrical
service.
Hatch said the company
would make every effort to
keep the business going.
The $25 million hike works
^ummeruilk News
Among the items reported
missing were an electric can
opener, a Zenith black and
white 18-inch portable tele
vision,' a .22 caliber automatic
rifle, several small jewelry pins,
a man’s yellow gold Timex
watch, battery charger, and a
number of tools.
On Friday evening, Milton
McGuire of Subligna reported
that someone had broken the
lock on his freezer and taken a
large amount of meat and vege
tables, as well as clothes,
money, and other items from
his house.
On Feb. 17, William Roach
reported that his house on the
Saddle Club Road, Route 3,
Summerville, had been burglar
ized. Burglars broke out a win
dow in the back door of the
house to make entry. Spots of
blood were on the door and
throughout the house, which
was ransacked. Among the
items reported missing were an
electric Spartus wall clock, red
plastic radio, opal ring, tape
player, girl’s yellow wrist
watch, $34 in half dollars,
birthstone ring, electric can
opener, and a .22 caliber re
volver.
Cases are listed as follows:
speeding, 19; drunkenness at
private residence, 9; driving
under the influence of intoxi
cants, 10; by court, 6; expired
driver’s license, 5; theft by tak
ing, 4; transporting fertilizer
illegally, 1; improper passing,
1; transferred from Central
State Hospital, 2; expired tag,
1; capias, 4; burglary, 1; re
voked license, 2; driving with
out a license, 2; no MVI
sticker, 1 ; expired MVI sticker,
1; using obscene language, 1;
improper tag, 2; simple bat
tery, 1; terroristic threats and
acts, 1; peace warrant, 1;
driving on wrong side of road,
1; and fighting, 3.
out to about a 12-percent in
crease for each customer over
the next three months.
But most GPC customers
will actually face increases in
their electric bills somewhat
higher than that, because the
$25 million increase comes on
top of another $35 million
hike granted in December by
the Public Service Commission
for unrecovered fuel cost in
crease.
The $35 million for unre
covered fuel costs began
showing up on customers’ bills
some three weeks ago, and the
$25 million increase will be in
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY. GEORGIA 30747. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1975
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NEW LEGISLATOR ON JOB IN ATLANTA
Chattooga County’s new legislator,
Rep. Johnny Crawford lost no time in
assuming his duties as representative
from the Fifth Legislative District.
After his election on Feb. 11, he was
sworn in early Feb. 13 and went im
mediately to the House floor. Shown
Changes Are Announced
On Homestead Exemption
March 31 marks some im
portant deadlines relative to
county property taxes, ac
cording to Tax Commissioner
Larry Durham.
Affected are property own
ers who were 62 on or before
Jan. 1, 1975, property owners
65 or older, and persons pur
chasing new homesteads.
Persons filing regular home
stead exemptions are only re
quired to make one return un
less there has been a change.
March 31 is also the deadline
for any property tax returns.
This affects the 1975 Chat
tooga County property tax
bills that come out in late Oc
tober.
Three hundred or more ap
plications for double home
stead exemptions for persons
65 and over have already been
received by the tax commis
sioner.
Taxpayers 65 and over may
claim the double homestead
exemption from all state and
county ad valorem taxes up to
$4,000. If the husband and
wife’s total adjusted income is
$4,000 or less, they are eli
gible. All income has to be
itemized on a double home
stead exemption card. If the 40
percent assessment is under
$4,000 the persons may pay no
Trion High School Band
To Enter Area Festival
The Trion High School
Band will participate in the
Seventh District Concert Band
Festival Thursday night at East
Rome High School.
The festival will be held to
day and Friday at East Rome
and Saturday at Douglas
County High School. Thirty
nine high school bands
throughout the district are
scheduled to attend.
Classifications are A
through D, based on school
enrollment. Each band will re
ceive two ratings, one for sight
reading and one for prepared
m usic.
Residence Damaged
The Summerville Fire De
partment was called to the resi
dence of Jerry L. McCullough
at 25 Norwood Circle Friday
night at 8:20. One room was
badly damaged.
addition to that.
Together, the emergency in
creases total some S6O million.
In asking for SB6 million, GPC
claimed that amount was
needed to strengthen its fi
nancial posture so it could
float a $l5O million bond issue
in May, to continue its con
struction program.
Hatch said that financial
problems besetting the com
pany have not been solved, and
that they would continue until
the “price of electricity reflects
the cost of producing it.”
Meanwhile, hearings opened
before the PCS Monday to
above in the Capitol corridor are, 1,-R:
Rep. Crawford, Jimmy Strickland, and
Sen. E. G. Summers. The senator said
Rep. Crawford may have set a record in
taking up his duties so soon after being
certified.
tax at all. Applicants should
bring their Social Security
number and all income sources,
such as Social Security, retire
ment, income from interest,
and rent. They should also
bring their Social Security
number with them.
If you were 62 on or before
Jan. 1, 1975, and your “total
household gross income” is less
thatn $6,000 you will be eli
gible for school tax homestead
exemption up to a 40 percent
assessment of SIO,OOO. “This
means the gross income of all
occupants of the house,” Dur
ham said.
This includes all sources of
income such as bank interest,
Social Security, and even the
earnings of a family member
such as a son living under the
same roof. The property tax
payer must live in his home to
receive the exemption. This
new homestead property tax
decution, effective Jan. 1, was
authorized last year by the
State Legislature.
Figures this year will apply
to next year’s tax.
In relationship to the school
tax exemption, Durham said,
“If a person reached the age of
62 by the first day of 1975 and
owned a farm valued at a 40%
The CHS band is entered in
Class C.
Judges for the festival in
clude Dr. David Walters, Jack
sonville State University ; Huey
Kent, Clarke County Schools;
William LeDue, Coral Gables
High School; and Norman
Padgett, Bowden.
Rep. Crawford
Gets 3 Posts
Rep. Johnny Crawford has
been appointed to the Agricul
ture, Retirement, and Natural
Resources committees in the
Georgia House of Representa
tives.
Chattooga County’s new
representative was sworn in
Feb. 1 3 and went immediately
to his desk on the House floor
to begin his two-year term.
decide whether to grant GPC' a
$305 million permanent rate
increase.
If that amount is approved,
the average bill of a Georgia
Power Co. customer would
jump some 40 percent over last
year. The December and Feb
ruary increases have resulted in
S6O million of the $305 mil
lion request already being
approved by the PSC.
The five-man PSC' discussed
the emergency rate increase for
some four hours in debate that
was often emotionally charged.
Four of the five commis
sioners Chairman Ben T. Wig-
assessment of $9,250, he
would have been paying tax on
$7,250 (getting a $2,000
homestead exemption). For
1974 he would have paid a tax
bill of $226.92. If it should
turn out that the county mil
lage rate for 1975 happened to
be the same as for 1974, and
he qualified for the School Tax
Exemption, then his tax bill
next year would be $96.06.”
To apply for any exemp
tion, you should own your
property, it must be in your
name, and you must live on it
the first day of the year.
Tax Commissioner Durham
added, “This year there were a
lot of mistakes made on
whether a person was eligible
or not for homestead exemp
tions. in cases where legitimate
proof was shown, we went
ahead and granted them. Next
year, anyone failing to have
signed for any of the exemp
tions by March 31 will not
receive a credit on the 1975
property tax notices.”
ATTENTION MOTORISTS! WATCH THAT NEW RADAR
Chattooga County drivers would be i
well advised to note a new type of I
radar now in use by the Georgia State i
Patrol in Chattooga County. The new <
unit checks and flashes the speed of |
oncoming vehicles on a dial as the
patrol car travels down the road. For- (
Local Voters
Await Fourth
Trip to Polls
Chattooga County voters
Tuesday will go to the polls for
the fourth time this year when
they decide who will succeed
the late Paul Weems as judge of
the Probate Court of Chat
tooga County.
In the special election Feb.
4, Jon Payne and Andrew Wil
liams Jr. were the top vote
getters from a field of seven
candidates. Payne was top man
with 1,353 votes. Williams
polled 971 votes. Since no can
didate received a majority of
the total cast, the Tuesday run
off election became necessary.
In addition to the special
election on Feb. 4 for the
Probate Court position, Chat
toogans voted twice before a
decision was made on who
would succeed the late James
(Sloppy) Floyd in the Georgia
House of Representatives.
Johnnv Crawford won the
runofff race, after coming in
second in the special election,
and has now taken his seat on
the House floor, a seat held for
more than two decades by the
colorful Sloppy Floyd.
Jon Payne is a former law
enforcement officer, having
worked with both the Chat
tooga County Correctional In-
Police Blotter
The Summerville Police De
partment made 20 arrests last
week.
Violations are listed as fol
lows: driving under the in
fluence of intoxicants, 7; dis
orderly conduct, 2; improper
tag, 1; improper license, 1;
driving without a license, I;
failure to stop for blue light
and siren, 2; permitting person
under the influence of intoxi
cants to drive, 1; driving on a
revoked license, 1; reckless
driving, 2; permitting an unli
censed driver to drive, 1; and
resisting arrest, 1.
merly, the patrol car had to be sta
tionary before the radar unit could be
used. The next time you meet a car, it
could be a patrol car with your speed
flashing on the dash unit. Shown above
with the new equipment are Troopers
Charles Colston and Dennis Tucker.
gins, Ford Spinks, Mac Barber,
and William Kimbrough
agreed that the company had
proved itself to be shaky
enough financially to warrant
an emergency increase, pending
the outcome of the proposal
for a permanent hike in the
next two or three months.
The Georgia General As
sembly is considering a pro
posal to reduce the terms of
commission members from six
to four years.
One commissioner, Bobby
Pafford, has indicated support
for the proposal. The only
commissioner to oppose the
stitution and the Chattooga
County Sheriff’s Department.
Andrew Williams Jr. has
been in the grocery business in
Chattooga County most of his
adult life.
Both candidates have con
ducted spirited campaigns to
pick up votes which went to
other candidates in the special
election on Feb. 4.
The polls will be open Tues
day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in
the Chattooga County Court
house and at each of the
county’s 12 other precincts.
Some 8,470 persons are eligible
to vote in the Feb. 25 runoff.
The Chattooga County
Registrar’s office announced
Tuesday that the office will be
open from 9 a.m. until noon
Saturday, Feb. 22, for the con
venience of those who wish to
cast absentee ballots.
Buy Tags Early,
Chattoogans Told
“Buy your automobile tags
or decals before the last-minute
rush,” Tax Commissioner
Larry Durham urged Chattooga
County vehicle owners this
week.
The tax commissioner’s
office (in the old Farmers &
Merchants Bank building) are
open from 8:45 a.m. til noon
and from 1 p.m. til 4:45 p.m.
on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thurs
days, and Fridays. Office hours
are from 8:45 a.m. til noon on
Wednesdays and from 8:30 til
11:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
Beginning March 1, the tax
commissioner’s office will be
open from 8:30 a.m. til noon
and from 1 til 5 p.m.
State Revenue Commis-
$25 million emergency hike
granted by the PSC Feb. 6, said
he thought the reduction in
terms would probably have the
impact ot making the commis
sioners a little more responsive
to the public. “I support it,”
he added.
Because of the tremendous
amount of political pressure on
the PSC from consumers, com
mission members have indi
cated that the present rate hike
request will probably be sub
jected to more scrutiny than
any in the past.
Chief Registrar Elsie Echols
said, “We will be open so that
people who will be out of town
on election day can vote an
absentee ballot.”
While most county voters
will get relief from going to the
polls so many times, Summer
ville voters will probably be
called on to vote one more
time within the next few
weeks.
Charles Brooks, a Summer
ville city councilman, told The
Summerville News last week
that he would resign his coun
cil post.
City Clerk Bert Self said
Tuesday that the City of Sum
merville has not received
official notification of the
resignation. Presumably, that
would have to come about be
fore a special election could be
called by the city clerk.
sioner Nick Chilivis this week
also urged all motor vehicle
owners to obtain their 1975
license plates and renewal de
cals as soon as possible.
“Not only will Georgians
avoid the possibility of spend
ing a considerable amount of
time in a long line at the coun
ty tax commissioner’s office,”
he said, “but they will also
avoid the penalties which ac
crue to those individuals who
do not purchase the tag or
renewal decal by April I.
Chilivis also reminded all
Georgia vehicle owners that
they must have no-fault auto
mobile insurance when they
apply for their tags or renewal
decals this year.
Those auto owners eligible
to purchase renewal tag decals
by mail should ensure that the
application form is completed
correctly before mailing to
their tax commissioner’s office.
Applications must be post
marked prior to midnight,
April 1
Penalties for renewal decals
purchased after the deadline on
April 1 are 25 percent of the
renewal tag decal price, plus
sl.
In addition to the penalty
for the renewal tag decal, there
is a tax penalty of 10 percent
of the ad valorem tax due, or
sl, or whichever is greater.
* ★ ★
Tag Sales Lag,
Durham States
Tag sales are far behind
schedule, according to Tax
Commissioner Larry Durham.
The tag deadline is midnight,
April I.
Durham urges that citizens
make every possible effort to
get their tags early and avoid
the long lines the last two or
three days. He announced that
the tax office will observe
strict office hours during the
last few days.
A penalty will be charged
on all tag sales made after the
deadline.
PRICE 15c