Newspaper Page Text
— The Summerville News, Thursday, February 10, 2000
14-A
Two Summerville Council
Members Keep Insurance
from front page
$550,000, or about $550,000
less than the sl.l-million in pre
miums it had paid a year ago.
The lower premiums re
sulted from the Mayor and Coun
cil deciding to receive bids on the
policies and to change its insur
ance agents from one based in
the Atlanta area to Guffin & Elam
Inc. and Flegal Insurance Co.,
both based on East Georgia Av
enue, Summerville.
AUDIT
The decision to seek bids
resulted from an audit of clg' in
surance records that showed the
city had been paying about sl.l
- in ;iremiums the in 1999-
2000 fiscal year. The Mayor and
Council also learned that a num
ber of employees had insurance
policies that they had never
signed for and didn’t know they
had. Councilman Morgan said he
was told by city officials that he
had a particular insurance policy
but he noted that he had never
signed up for the policy.
STORIES
After The Summerville
News é)ublished a series of re
ports etailing the city’s insur
ance woes and its-then bad fi
nancial condition, the city’s
elected officials began acting. In
early October, 1999, a quarrel
Council To Discuss
Moving An Account
A recommendation to re
move a Summerville City bank
in% account from AmSouth Bank
will be presented to the City
Council at 5 p.m. today, said City
Manager Grady McCalmon.
AmSouth holds the city’s
court probation checking ac
count.
McCalmon said AmSouth is
charging the city service fees for
the use of the account.
CHANGE?
“The Council is going to be
asked to authorize us to change
it to another bank,” McCalmon
said. “They (AmSouth) charge us
a service charge after four trans
actions. We are going to see who
will do it free for us.
McCalmon said after more
than four transactions, the citK
is charged a $lO fee for eac
transaction. : !
McCalmon said the Council
might want to move the account
to another local bank such as
Farmers and Merchants Bank or
the First National Bank of Chat
tooga County.
GAS PROMO
The Council will again dis
cuss providing incentives to cur
rent and potential gas customers
to use more natural gas,
McCalmon said.
The Council has been talk
ing about ways to increase the
summer use of natural gas. Pro
viding money incentives to
homeowners to buy gas-powered
appliances will be outlined today,
he said.
“Thatis somethin§ they will
look at . . .and r}u)robab y make a
decision, hopefully, next week,”
McCalmon said.
REBATE
David Carroll, gas superin
tendent, has recommended that
the Council provide a $75 rebate
for new gas customers installing
a gas water heater or a clothes
dryer. New customers putting in
a gas heating system would set a
SIOO rebate and those installing
a %as range would receive a SSO
rebate.
Existing ggs customers who
install a water heater or a clothes
dryer would get a SIOO rebate
under the proposal.
“An existing customer
would be any customer whose
account has been in good stand
ing for a minimum of 12
months,” the gas rromotion
K(e)licy stated. “Actual rebate will
based on the number of in
stalled appliances at the time of
inspection.”
TURNTABLE
Since the arrival of a 100-
foot-long train turntable to the
north end of J. R. “Dick” Dowdy
Park in December, the massive
structure has yet to be as
sembled.
McCalmon said he hopes
the Council will approve $2,500
to lEbkegin soil-boring tests at the
park.
“It’s ic;ing kind of slow be
cause we have not done a lot of
workonit,” headded. @
McCalmon said Tuesdef:;y he
had recently renewed his efforts
to get the train turntable project
installed. It is just one é)art ofa
$327,000 downtown develop
ment project.
SCOPE
It will involve the construc
tion of the turntable and plat
form at Dowdy Park, interior
renovation of the Summerville
train depot }c. 1918) and the con
struction o :’mistfian walk
wa&feromthe ing platform
at the depot to the center of East
broke out between Morgan, Ms.
Burks and Campbell over an al
leged “bias” bs Morgan against
Mcßurnett and Szabolcsi &»‘ISI),
the town’s existing insurance
agent.
The Council in the fall had
hired named Risk Consultants,
Nashville, Tenn. to check into its
insurance situation. Risk later
recommended that the Council
dismiss MSI as its insurance con
sultant and use Risk as a “neu
tral” consultant.
BIDS PUSHED
It also said the city should
seek comgetitive bids on the in
surance. But at the special Octo
ber meeting, the gouncil re
versed course and made MSI its
consultant again.
Ultimately, the Council re
placed MSI again, this time with
Guffin & Eleam Inc. and Flegal
Insurance Co., both of Summer
ville, as the town’s agents of
record. L
The possibility of the city fil
ing bankrugtcy came uP durin%
early October in city financia
discussions.
Grant Thornton Inc., At
lanta, the town's auditor, noted
that the city had posted a deficit
of $432,000 during its 1998-
1999 fiscal year which ended this
past June 30.
However, despite their ear
Washington Street and then to
Commerce Street. The walkway
portion of the project would in
clude landscaping work and in
stallation of historic lampposts,
he said.
OTHER ACTION
McCalmon said other items
on the agenda include:
* Resident Michael Mack
discussing %ossible problems or
changes in basketball rules and
Deadline Today On
Summerville Taxes
Today is the deadline for all
City of Summerville residents to
pay their 1999 property taxes,
Ci%’ Manager Grady McCalmon
said.
About 77 percent (or
$313,333.41) of the city’s prop
erty tax bills had beenTPaid
through the end of the day Tues
day, according to City Hall.
McCalmon said most
people had paid their taxes by
the end of January. His figures
through Jan. 31, showed the city
had collected 71.8 percent of its
taxes for 1999.
SOME WAIT
“Thursday (today) is the
deadline. Notoriously, there are
people who always wait,” said
City Clerk Jill Durham.
“I was looking at that this
morninfi,” McCalmon said.
“Through Jan. 31, we had col
lected 71.8 percent . ..”
Ms. Durham said many
mortFage companies wait ‘til the
deadline before submitting the
accrued taxes. The ci? clerk said
several mortgage firms paid
taxes during;he gast week.
We've been busy and a lot
of the taxes are cominiin at the
last few days,” Ms. Durham said.
Those who miss today’s
deadline will incur a one-time $5
penalty and interest. The inter
est assessed against the taxes is
10 percent annually, according
to Ms. Durham.
The Council is expected to
receive about $443,000 in city
property tax revenues this fiscal
year. That is ro:ghly the same
amount generated from the pre
vious year.
RATE CUT
Although the city cut its tax
rate from 3 mills to 2.5 mills, the
amount of revenues stayed about
the same. Higher assessments
were going to boost residents’
taxes 20 percent if the Council
had not cut the rate.
A mill is $1 tax on each
SI,OOO of taxable property.
Not all Council members
were in favor of lowering the
millafie rate gsear. Councilwoman
Brenda Burks wanted the City to
get the additional $87,000 in
taxes by retaining the 3-mill rate.
Councilwoman Burks ex
plained then that she wanted to
pass alonfi the biggest tax in
crease within the last five years
to attract businesses to the
downtown area.
TAXES HELP
She is on Summerville’s
Downtown Develogment Au
thority. Ms. Burk said the money
from the increase in city taxes
could have been used to get mer
chants and businesses back
downtown.
Councilwoman Burks cast
the only dissenting vote to the
millage reduction measure.
lier remarks against Morgan
both Ms. Burks and Camp%eli
later ended up voting in favor of
a new insurance pagkagg when
it wa_sli{resented to the Council.
e editorial pages of The
Summerville News —~ which are
separate from the news depart
ment - also had criticized Coun
cil members for costing the city
some $40,000 in additional an
nual premiums when the city
was in difficult financial straits.
It was after a series of edito
rials and an editorial cartoon was
published that all but the two
Council members decided they
no longer wanted city-paid in
surance policies.
TAN PAID
City Manager McCalmon
announced in late December that
the city had been able to cut its
spending enough to come up
with the money to repay a
$600,000 tax anticipation note
it had borrowed from the Farm
ers and Merchants Bank of Chat
tooga County.
Unexpectedly, the city
ended the 1999 calendar Kear in
the black rather than in the red,
McCalmon said. :
The city’s 12-month fiscal or
financial accounting year runs
from July Ito June 30, not from
a calendar year of Jan. 1 to Dec.
31
bylaws at the Summerville Rec
reation Center.
* The status of 1999 prop
erty tax collections.
* The signing of a $6,000
check to the Georgia Environ
mental Protection Division for a
city wastewater treatment plant
violation last year.
* A tri-state fire and emer
gency mutual aid agreement.
* Selling a surplus tanker
fire truck.
Councilmen Dennis Campbell,
Earl Parris and Milford Morgan
voted to cut the tax rate. Coun
cilwoman Betty Bush was not
present at that meeting.
One of the stipulations
made in the Councirvote last
year was that the city review the
eventual elimination of its prop
erty taxes.
Council Restricts
Public Comment
A new policy limiting the
public’s participation in the City
of Summerville’s business will be
put into ogeration for the first
time late this afternoon.
The Summerville City Coun
cil unanimously adopted the
public comment policy at its
January meeting. It went in ef
fect on Jan. 10.
“All requests by visitors to
address the Mayor and Council
members during the %leblic—com
ment period should be made to
the cit{ manager prior to the
monthly work session agenda
preparation. The work session
agenda is prepared and posted
on the Thursday prior to the
regular monthly work session,”
the gublic comment policy
stated.
WORK SESSION
Work sessions are sched
uled on the Thursday before the
monthly Council meeting at s
p.m. the followi% Monday at
City Hall. The schedule is subject
to change, city officials have said.
Emergencies will be treated as
exceptions to this policy, they
added.
The public participation
policy requires:
* The request to comment
should include the subject’s
name and the subject to be dis
closed.
* Public comment should be
limited to five minutes for each
person.
* Public comment will onl{
be heard at the monthly wor
sessions.
* The Mayor and Council
reserve the right to take informa
tion presented under consider
ation and render a decision at the
monthly Council meeting.
UNANIMOUS
Councilman Milford Mor
gan moved to pass the public
comment policy and Mayor Pro
Tem Dennis Campbell seconded
the motion. The vote of approval
was unanimous. .
At least one person has gone
through the proper procetfixres
to talk at this afternoon’s Coun
cil meeting. Resident Michael
Mack plans to talk about the
Summerville Recreation
mmment’s basketball bj'laws
rules, city officials said.
‘;’@“:s.:‘;3:.-’;“5.- et T R ‘*#%}:‘&rfi et i sl
el P e RO e s T R
B i e| i el e
3! {'i{i,t.‘.v st ol soL B .
4 F
N
"R |
", ——
’ g 2 b A g, B
x ¥ 3
eSO ™ ol 2 .
\li»:fi::""“* N E i
e fig_;-,;: w Sk o
‘ é
5
biA 4 o -
S ) e
B ,Jg
T
S e
3 LB
4 " g N i ’é*’;,,_
3ia Y ¥ e
e
] 5 7“;"::5
TERRY JENKINS (LEFT REAR), GARY ASHLEY EXPLAIN RAMIFICATIONS OF BILL
To Huge Crowd Of School Boards, Teachers, Governmental Personnel
Education Bill Discussed
Trion Meeting Features State School Officials
from front page
half of the school s%;sféms would
be winners and half would be los
ers.
“The good part is the gover
nor has said that will be iased
in more than six years. gut, 25
percent of the change would be
|mfllemented in the first year,”
Williams continued.
LOCAL FAIR SHARE
Williams said that systems
pay the equivalent of five mills -
their local fair share. The
governor’s committee said there
would be SIOB million more new
monies available for school sys
tems.
“What they don't tell you is
that $62 million of that is your
local fair share moneg. The rocal
fair share is going up by S6O mil
lion,” he saig. -
He said what systems were
really looking at was $46 million
in new state money.
“What do we have to do to
get that money? We have consid
erable new restrictions on how
we spend that.money,” he said.
One of the restrictions is
class size. The maximums were
set to allow flexibility. From kin
dergarten a student/teacher ra
tio of 15 to 1 and grades 1-3, a ra
tio of 17-1.
~ “The bill prohibits paying
para?rofessionals from being
pqig or by QBE funds,” Williams
said.
“The bill as it appeared to
day had some very significant
changes from the original bill.
You can now use QBE money to
pay J)araprofessionals,” he
added.
This brouiht thunderous
applause from the audience.
MORE TEACHERS
Terry Jenkins told the group
that the bill will force school sys
tems to hire a lot more teachers
and a lot fewer aides.
“Principals will now be ?aid
one per school, regardless of the
size of the school. Assistant prin
cipals will be paid as in the past,”
Jenkins said.
He said that the bill would
cut sl6 million out of middle
schools.
“They may cut back on ex
ploratory grograms," he added.
Another proposal that
brought applause was the re
quirement that administrators
will teach in the classroom five
days a year.
“Another change will be the
Regional Education Services
Agencies will be changed. Their
board will be made up of school
superintendents, vocation-tech
nical top administrators, and col
lege presidents in the area. I fore
see real changes in RESA ser
vices,” Don Rooks, of the GSBA
told the group.
TAX INCREASES
Jackie Collins, Floyd School
Superintendent said he foresaw
Woman Faces Charge In Cutting Incident
A 33-year-old Summerville
woman was arrested this week
after being charged with cuttin
another female in the face ané
chest, according to a Chattooga
County warrant.
Tina Luallen, Box 242-A
Knollwood Circle, Summerville,
was charged with aggravated as
sault. She cut Tammy Culpepper
during an altercation on
Knollwood Circle, the warrant
stated. Ms. Culpepper was cut on
her face and chest, it added. She
required medical attention and
numerous stitches at Redmond
Regional Medical Center’s emer
gency room, the warrant added.
INCIDENTS
In other incidents, Chat
tooga County Sheriff’'s deputies
reported:
* Tammy Cul;»epper. 249
Knollwood Circle, Summerville,
told deputies on Jan. 22 that a
fight had occurred. Deputies re
:lponded and witnesses told
eputies that two people were
figgting on the front porch. War
rant procedures were advised.
i . ,-‘: w 0
: B A e
- i Ly
y 7 R 2
5 £ ‘_ - S Y 4
3 i 4 o 9 P
‘ ) % R il
RN o ¢ L o ;e
% : o AR 5
AR iR e
9 o b B 3 ‘i' #4 g
R
i: b T
3 i A Y
= v P 4. 2
| d ; 7, e, T
: . ..~ ‘ b fih“‘“‘*”- .
e ) ; 4
% 45 e 3 2
& s i
i .‘.'A * /
,4' ‘
l" |
¥R » .
1 /5P
L '
GARY ASHLEY (C), DIRECTOR OF GEORGIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSN.
Discusses Reform Bill With Trion Board Member Connie Witt Tuesday
additional local increases in the
millage rates in his county.
“My sense is that massive
increases will be needed in local
taxes to pay for the new educa
tion bill,” Collins remarked.
Barbara Reece, 11th district
State Representative was at the
meeting after attending the day’s
session at the Georgia House of
Representatives.
“I voted against the bill, I
was the only Democrat doinlg SO.
I have lived with this bill for
three weeks and have talked with
everybody I could,” she said.
“I encourage teachers to
keelp their vision and teach those
children. I'm just afraid with the
rewards here and the rewards
there, teachers will only teach
toward the test,” Reece said.
NOT SATISFIED
“I'm not totally satisfied
with the Georgia Reform legis
lation. What we found out was
what revisions have been made
that will make it easier to imple
ment,” Chattooga School Super
intendent Tom McCullough
said, “The small class sizes of
Chattooga schools will diminish
the impact on our system. We
may have to add some teachers
at Menlo. A lot will depend on
how the bill is intgapreted.”
“We had a good educational
meeting to look at the
Governor's bill. We all gained a
lot of insight into what it really
means to school systems,” Trion
Superintendent Don Elam said.
* Danny Reece, 79 East Ar
muchee Road, Summerville, re
ported on Feb. 1 that someone
stole 120 sedative pills, 30 blood
pressure pills, various other
pills, his spare tire, cassette
tapes, a case of oil, 10 gallons of
gasoline and five gallons of kero
sene.
* Anne Clark, 2101 Sprins
Creek Road, Summerville, tol
deputies Saturdaé(t}hat someone
had stolen S4BO from her purse.
* Joseph Owens, 80 Moss
Drive, Summerville, said Tues
day that he was attacked with a
kniff)el:{ a white male. He was
stabbed in the left arm and sliced
on the riiht arm. Deputies re
ported that the wounds ap
peared superficial and did not
need medical attention. A 1987
Buick LeSabre was also damaged
in the attack.
PAPER BOXES
* willard Bean, 151 Plum
St., Trion, said someone stole
The Atlanta Journal Constitu
tion new;paper boxes at Luclx‘s
Grocery Store, Lyerly and at the
B
oy - e Fice” ;fi;'v.»" &
: * T i & fl.fi“
i 4§ iy
S .
v »
. w Ee
e, T T
X"‘ ik ] i
o el 4 4
? t’fit, A ‘
5 o g
e’% 7.4 A &
e T L
4 "
P % "*/z:: )
e 3‘,( ;.
" A 3B E '
| 47
L b 7 B
' B
i
_-. . ‘ i
: 4 { ,v X ¢
'¥§ 4 J
k. . 2 ¢
SUPERINTENDENT TOM McCULLOUGH (R)
Talks With Rep. Barbara Reece At Meeting
Gore BP Convenience Store. The
pap:r racks were valued at $350
each. : e
* Managers at the Cowboy’s
Convenience Store, Trion, said
an employee’s cash register has
come up short of money twice.
The first time $127.31 was miss
ing and the second time $236.90
was missing.
* The owner of Mom and
Pop’s Convenience Store, Ga.
114, told deputies Monday that
someone pumped $5 in gasoline
and left without i)aying.
* J. H. Willingham, 3314
Shinbone Valleg Road, reported
Monday that a fire had occurred
outside the Willinl'gham Body
Shop. The Menlo Fire Depart
ment extingluished the fire.
* Charlotte Chapman, 36
Tripple Lane, Summerville, said
Monday that a utili«g buildix;g
had caught fire. The fire start
ryhitl,e Chapman was burning tree
imbs.
ARRESTS
~ Among those arrested dur
ing the past week were:
Staff Photos By Gene Espy
* David Cannon, 39, of 409
Highland Ave., Summerville, on
charges of second degree forgery
and public drunkenness.
* Pleas Edwards, 26, of 49
Roosevelt St., Summerville, on
]charges of being an habitual vio
ator.
* Mark Fowler, 33, of 113
West Armuchee Road, Summer
ville, on charges of possession of
a firearm by a convicted felon,
possession of a firearm during
the commission of a crime, hunt
ing deer from a motor vehicle,
rossession of illegally taken wild
ife, possession of a Schedule 4
drug and possession of more
than an ounce of drugs.
HUNTING
* Brian Howell, 29, of 116
Ga. 156, Armuchee, on charges
of hunting deer at night, hunting
from a motor vehicle and posses
sion of a firearm during the com
mission of a crime, possession of
a firearm by a convicted felon,
rossession of illegally taken wild
ife, possession of a Schedule 4
drug and possession of more
Dropout
Rate At
11.6 Percent
from front page
merville Middle School; and vi
sion document for the system
approved by the board of educa
on.
“Some of the things we are
looking at in the future that will
impact the d t rate are 17-
year-old compulsmnry attendance
age; pilotinfiof school uniforms;
la‘!loint enrollment [i:-ogram with
orthwestern Technical Insti
tute; Regional CISCO Academy/
computer Maintenance Certifi
cation at CHS and a computer
aided design (CAD) certification
for CHS vocational students,”
Supt. McCullough said.
McCullough listed some of
the “gositives" that he said
should aid in the dropout rates
although these results were in
lower ;rades and would “take
awhile” for the results to filter up
to the high school-a%e students.
“The third grade Reading
Comprehension results on the
1999 lowa Test of Basic Skills
(ITBS) were higher than the state
average for the first time. The
thirgdgrade composites have
Fain on the state average the
ast three years from ~l3in 1997,
to ~11 in 1998 and -8 in 1999.
Menlo Elementary School’s third
and fifth grade composites were
higher than the state average.
Eighth grade writing assessment
was above the state average for
the first time and high school
firaduatlon test scores were
igher than the state average for
the first time,” he said. @
“Some on the nefatives,” Dr.
McCullough said, “Include our
lax:fiutfie arts is the lowest score
in the third grade. Our fifth grade
reading is static, four points be
low the state average in compre
hension and three in vocabugry.
Our fifth fi:'ade writing is static
— below the state average. Our
eighth grade test scores are
static, four to eigh’}goints below
the state average. The Chattoo#ga
High School comg)letion rate for
1995-1999 is 52. fpercent. That
means that out of the students
that enrolled in the ninth grade
in 1995 only 52 percent finished.
Low percentage of CHS gradu
ates entering higher education:
23 into Georgia colleges, 13 into
technical schools out of 121.
“With the better scores we
are getting in the lower grades, I
expect improvement two years
from now in the fifth grade.
Those scores will improve and
eventually into high school and
the high school comdpletion rate
will be better,” he added.
TRION SYSTEM
The dropout rates for the
Trion School System for the past
several years showed a 2.3 per
cent rate for the 1995-96 scggol
year; 5.1 g]ercent rate for the
1996-97 school year; 4.4 for the
1997-98 school year and 4.0 for
the 1998-99 school term.
Chili Supper
Set Saturday
At Cloudland
The Tri-County Volunteer
Fire And Rescue organization
will host a chili supper from 5 to
7 p.m. on Saturday at the head
quarters on Ga. 48 at the Geor
gia-Alabama state line.
The meal will include meat
or vegetarian chili, crackers, a
choice of two kinds of sand
wiches, a homemade cinnamon
roll and a selection of drinks. The
Frice will be $4 for adultsand $3
or children. The dinner dona
tions will help pay off theloan on
the station’s fire truck. .
Tri-County Volunteer Fire
And Rescue serves the toE of
Lookout Mountain and Chat
too(fa County as well as Dekalb
and Cherokee Counties in Ala
bama, within a five-mile radius
of the station. Les
~ Sponsors can be reached at
862-6515.
KILL WEEDS
Apply %re-emergence weed
control to home lawns in late
February, say experts with the
University of Georgia Extension
Service. But don’t use pre-emer
gence weed control if you are
planning to replant or reseed
your lawn.
than an ounce of drugs.
* Marshall Kirby, 49, P.O.
Box 374 Wildlife Lake Road,
Summerville, on charges of theft
by dece’lption.
* Tina Luallen, 33, of 310
Knollwood Circle, ona cflarge of
aggravated assault.
* Katie Meeks, 22, of 340
Marla Maples Way, Summer
ville, on a charge of deposit ac
count fraud.
* Richard Meeler, 27, of 431
Lindsey Chapel Road, Cedart
own, on three counts of first de
gree forgery.
* Justin Smith, 17, of 318
Maffett St., Trion, on charges of
possessing of less than an ounce
of mar‘if'uana.
* John Williams, 32, of
6776 Ga. 114, Lyerly, on a charge
of aggravated assaulit.
* Michael Wilson, 35, of 46
Maplewood Drive, Summerville,
on a charge of simple battery
under the Family Violence Act.
Use NEWS Classifieds!