Newspaper Page Text
. . The Summerville News, Thursday, February 17, 1994
6-A
Perry Seeks Equality
In Georgia Public Education Funding
Rep. Tim Perry has called
for a fairer way of funding
public education in Georgia.
He aupjwrted a bill to con
tinue the Joint House-Senate
Study Commission on Revenue
Structure. The commission’s
primag function is to examine
ways of changing how the state
funds education.
The move to continue the
commission passed the House,
167-5.
‘“I believe education
benefits everf'one in Georgia,”
Perry said. ““If the commission
comes back with a more
gguitable way of funding
ucation where everyone is
taxed equally, I will support
the findings.”
The state currengi' funds
about half the cost of education
from state taxes, with the re
mainder coming from local pro
perty taxes. Legislators and
property owners have com
plained that school taxes are
unfair, saying that they unfair
ly burden many taxpayers.
“UNFAIR”
‘‘ Assessing property tax for
the local share of education is
probably the most unfair tax
that we have in this state,”
Perry said. “Presently we have
a lot of elderly people who have
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hung onto the family farm or
home for years, yet they
haven’t had children in school
for years.
“They are the ones aning
the bulk of the local share of
educating our young peopie.
Only about 40 percent of
Georgians own all of the pro
perty in our state, yet theY are
paying 100 l{)ercent of the local
share of school tax.”
The 19-member commission
includes members of the
House, Senate and appointees
of the governor. Lt. G}())v. Pierre
Howard and Speaker Tom
Murphy are co-chairmen. It
will make a report to the
General Assembly about
changing the tax structure for
education.
A majority of Georgians
favor a change, according to a
survey made this year by the
Georgia Public Policy Founda
tion. A total of 600 people par
ticipated in the poll, conducted
by the firm of Ayres and
Associates.
Sixty-one percent said they
would prefer to fund schools
with a revenue source other
than local property taxes, the
poll found. Of that number, 51
percent favor an increase in the
state sales tax, and 35 percent
said they would support rais
ing the state income tax.
A total of 76 percent of
those surveyed said that
education decisions should be
/%, CHATTOOGA &%
CAY teasiaTors (T A 7
G REPORT “ai
Local Schools In
Line For $6 Million
Chattooga County and
Trion City schools are in line
for about $6 million in con
struction money in the state’s
1994 suplg)lemental budget,
Rep. Tim Perry said last week.
The S4OO-million budget bill
aPproved by the House in
cludes $5.6 million in state
money for Trion’s new school,
and $119,000 for renovations
at North Summerville Elemen
tary School.
“The Chattooia County
School Board and the Trion Ci
ty School Board both should be
commended for their hard work
to get these two construction
projects to where they are at
today,” Perry said.
LOW INTEREST
The spending plan passed
the House, 146-28, an agree
ment with a conference com
mittee’s recommendation that
the building money be given to
schools this year while interest
rates are low, he added.
“The Office of Budget and
Finance recommended that
Georqia should issue these
school construction bonds now,
before the federal reserve in
creases the interest rate. All of
the school bonds we ‘moved up’
were beini planned for the
fiscal 1995 budget, which takes
effect in July.”
Perry noted that federal of
ficials have announced a possi
ble increase in interest rates,
aimed at curbing inflation.
“We know that we now
Horton-Strange
Sues Officials
An Atlanta-Trion area ac
tivist has filed a civil lawsuit
against the mayor of Summer
ville and three council
members, charging that they
have received illegal ‘‘per
diem” payments from the city.
It was filed Tuesday in
Chattooga County Superior
Court by Patricia Horton-
Strange, who identified herself
in the suit as a Summerville
taxpayer and property owner.
Klamed as cfiafendants in the
case were Mayor Sewell Cash,
who is recuperating from five
heart bypasses on Feb. 3;
Mayor Pro Tem Ira H. Pollard
Jr., Councilman Phillip Cavin,
and Councilwoman Betty Bush
as a member of the council and
as executor of the estate of her
late husband, Edward Bush, a
former councilman.
Mrs. Horton-Strange, who
has also identified herself as
Pat Strange, asked for a tem
porary and permanent injunc
tion and restraining order
against those named, seeking
to prevent them from receiving
any more “per diem” pay.
Councilmen Mike King and
Ralph Stanleg' and suspended
Councilman Earl “Red”’ Parris
were not named in the lawsuit.
Per diem payments to the
mayor and councilmen were ‘‘il
legal, ineffective and void in
that they are inconsistent with
made at the local level, while 17
fiercent said the state should
ave the most control. Five
percent favored federal control,
the survey indicated.
have good bond rates, but we
fear that the fed is now talking
about increasing the interest
rates, and we wanted to make
sure that we get the best rates
possible for the people of
Georgia. On this kind of
money, one-half of a percentage
point can cost Georgia tax
payers millions of dollars over
the life of these bonds.”
UNEMPLOYMENT
Also this month, the House
voted to increase unemploy
ment benefits and decrease the
amount employers contribute
to the state’s unemployment
fund. Perry supported the
measure.
Unemployment benefits
will be raised by $lO a week
this year if the bill is passed,
and by $lO more in 1995.
Employers would note a five
percent reduction in their
payments to the state
unemployment fund.
“’lPhis will benefit the
employer and the employee
who has lost his job,” Perry
said. “The raise in benefits to
the unemployed is not cost(')lgg
employers any more. It's g
all the way around.”
He added that the stability
of Georgia's unemployment
fund is the reason for the raise
in benefits. If approved,
unemrloyed workers will be
eligible for $195 in weekly
benefits between July 1, 1994,
and June 30, 1995, and for
$205 a week after July 1, 1995,
and contrary to the charter of
the citly: of Summerville and are
unauthorized,” the lawsuit
stated.
The litigation was drawn by
Steven Montalto and David J.
Salome, Atlanta, according to
the lawsuit.
A hearing on the Horton-
Strange lawsuit has been
scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday,
March 21, in Summerville.
Mrs. Horton-Strange asked
for those sued to pay her at
torney's fees, court costs, and
other costs. She also asked that
the city halt any l;l)er diem
payments and that those nam
ed r(:fi)ay the city for all past:
per diem payments to them.
She asked that the payments
be declared illegal and void.
The council adopted ‘“an or
dinance” on June 8, 1992 regar
ding per diem payments, the
lawsuit stated, but it ‘‘was an
attempt by the defendants to
somehow validate the prior and
continued illegal payment of
the per diem.’
'lplfe city’s charter, which
went in effect on Jan. 1, 1962,
allows the mayor and council
members to draw a salary and
to be reimbursed for expenses,
the suit stated. It contended
that the per diem pa{ments
“‘are not in the nature of a reim
bursement for expenses’’ but
were in addition to their
salaries.
The council’s June 8, 1992
“ordinance’” was not properly
adopted, notice of its proposed
adogtion was not given to the
public, and it was “illegal, in
effective, void, and unconstitu
tional,” Mrs. Horton-Strange
stated.
The per diem payments
were actually ‘‘salary in
creases . . . under the guise of
expense reimbursement’’ and
were ‘‘mere %:tuities which
are subject to being enjoined,”
the lawsuit stated.
The 1962 charter for the Ci
ty of Summerville replaced the
town’s 1897 charter. The new
charter legislation was in
troduced by then Re'}) J oseglh
Longns and Refie ames H.
“Sloppy”’ Floi(‘l). p. Floyd is
deceased and ins is now a
Superior Court jfifie in Chat
tooga County.
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I N ; R B
The Chattooga County Advisory Council of the Retired
Senior Volunteer Program (RS@P) met recently at the
courthouse annex. The program, which was formerly
operated by Northwest Georgia Services Inc., is now
sponsored by the Coosa Valley Regional Services and
Legislation Adds DFACS Changes
A discussion of legislation
that will chan% Aid to
Families With Dependant
Children (AFDC) benefits
highlighted the meeting of the
board of the Chattoo a% art
ment of Fatmle ams Chfi%ren
Services (DFCS) Monday
morning.
Sara Jo Burt, eligibility
supervisor told the five
member board about minor
parent living arrangements,
the voluntary quit penalty,
parenting skills and fa.mi?;r
Flanning classes, and the fami
y cap.
According to Ms. Burt,
minor parent living ar
raex:igemelrllts mandate tll:at un
wed mothers younger than age
18 who have zot been married
must live with their parents to
receive AFDC assistance.
“If they have been married,
she said, ‘‘They are considered
an adult.”
She added that those
receivin% AFDC funds who
quit a job without fiood cause
will be penalized. The eligibili
ty supervisor has the final
word on the determination of
just cause.
Ms. Burt explained that
parents on AFPDC, as of
January 1996, are required to
follow the personal accoun
tability and responsibility
system.
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RSVP Council Meets
Recipients and ap;;llicants
must be informed that 24
months after January 1, any
child born will not be added to
the AFDC grant after January,
1996.
She also explained that reci
pients must be advised of
parenting skills and famil}i'
planning classes. A form is fill
ed out and sent throuih chan
nels ending up with the state
and is an organized way to get
AFDC recipients involved in
family planning.
At the session, Director
Sharon Pinion announced that
the DFCS has received a
SIO,OOO allotment to go toward
the addition of a family-aide
worker.
The emploKee, contracted
through North Georgia Ser
vices, Jasper, will work with no
less than six AFDC recipients
in their homes and provide
parental instruction.
“The parent-aide will work
closely with the DFCS
caseworker,” Mrs. Pinion said.
They will work at least
eight hours a week with each
family, allowing them to get to
problems quicker and resolving
them with the goal of closing
cases or reuniting families.
Mrs. Pinion announced that
the semi-annual DFCS board
association meeting is set for
March 12 in Macon.
Develo&ment Corp., Rome. From left are Evans Scog
gins, able McCutchion, Frances Helton; Jewe%l
anada, the Coosa Valley goject director for RSVP;
Cecil Deering, Martha Hartline, Martha Latta and Faye
Wooten. (Staff Photo).
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