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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008
Millage hike possible in Baldwin
WILLIAMS TALKS ABOUT CITY OF BALDWIN WEBSITE
Celena Williams (standing), c7marketing.com, talked to Baldwin City Council
members at Thursday’s (Oct. 9) work session about a new city website. Also
shown (L to R) are: council member Robert Bohannon, Mayor Mike Kelley,
council members Rodney King and Ray Holcomb and city clerk Brandy Kyle.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin leaders discussed a
possible millage rate increase at
Monday's meeting but took no
action.
Baldwin Finance Director
Betty Harper said the current 8
mills in property tax “should co
ver" what the city has budgeted.
She added that the current mi
llage rate would give the town
approximately $12,000 over its
budgeted expenditures.
“If the millage rate is raised
to 8.25 mills, this would put the
city at $28,000 over expenditu
res,” Harper said.
Harper said she recommen
ded putting the extra money that
would be generated by the raise
in the millage rate into a capital
fund for unexpected purchases
that do come up.
Harper said she wants to have
a meeting with the budget/finan
ce committee to look at numbers
before a decision is made in the
millage rate. No date was given
for the meeting.
“We will need to have three
public hearings, one in the mor
ning, one in the evening and one
anytime,” Harper said, if the
council decides to raise the mi
llage rate.
Baldwin City Attorney David
Syfan said, “You have to run a
legal ad a week before the hea
rings and the hearings have to be
done a week before you change
the millage rate.”
Baldwin City Council mem
bers did receive a bit of good
news at the work session on
Thursday, Oct. 9. Harper said
both the Habersham and Banks
County tax digests are up this
year.
“This is unexpected news,”
Harper said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•Celena Williams, c7marke-
ting.com, presented information
to the council for a new City
of Baldwin website. Williams
said the cost to the city would
be a one-time fee of $3,100 to
build the website, plus $24.99
per month for the hosting fee
and $19.99 annual registration
fee. Williams said the proposed
site would serve the community
and open up a line of commu
nication. Williams said the city
could sell advertising on the
site to help offset the cost. “The
site would be fully editable, you
wouldn’t have to have a person
with web training to edit the
site,” Williams said. Harper said,
“We have the cityofbaldwin.com
now, but it doesn’t have interac
tion with the public.”
•Baldwin resident Andrea
Harper questioned the council
about the comprehensive plan
that is due in October 2009. “I
wonder what’s happening and
can concerned citizens be of
any help?” Harper asked. Ma
yor Mike Kelley said, “I am
very much interested in getting
help from concerned citizens. I
hope the council would like to
do the same thing.” Syfan said,
“You can have a group as an
advisory council.” The problem
with the concerned citizens is
the Department of Communi
ty Affairs wants you to have a
professional planner to meet the
regulatory requirements of what
does into the plan,” Syfan said.
Syfan added, “Part of the up
date is the future land use map
and I’d like to have a say in the
direction of the city’s land use
map.” Syfan told the council
they would need to look at the
charter and decide what type of
form the advisory committee
should take. Some councils let
each member appoint somebody
to serve on the advisory council.
“It’s in your discretion,” Syfan
said. Council members Beverly
Holcomb volunteered to serve
as the council’s liaison with the
citizens’ advisory council.
•A. Harper asked the council
to take action against the ow
ners of a vacant lot next door to
her property. Harper said the lot
looks bad and that a crew cleared
the brush off the neighboring lot
and piled it in the drainage ditch.
The lot is owned by a Church
of God of Prophecy in Lizella,
Harper added. They can’t build
on the lot and they didn’t put
up any silt fence, Harper said.
Shawn Rhoades, Baldwin’s
Code Enforcement Officer, has
an address and phone number
for the owners, Harper added.
•the council held the second
reading of the Police Powers II
ordinance allowing the police
department to exercise public
powers for shoplifting and cri
minal trespass offenses.
•council member Ray Hol
comb said the city has a pro
blem with the way the current
business license ordinance is
written and the way the form is
drawn up. Holcomb said the city
has some people operating se
veral different businesses under
one business license in the city.
Syfan said he would look at a
way to clarify the ordinance.
•council member Robert Bo
hannon asked about the status
of the annexation of Anderson
Village. Syfan said, “We are in
talks with Anderson Village and
Mr. Anderson is indicating that
he does intend to annex into the
city at some point in time.” An
derson has been asked to give
the city a formal answer at the
end of the month, Syfan added.
•Bohannon asked about the
status of the easement acquisi
tions for the Park Avenue water
line project. B. Harper said, “We
still have a few more (easements)
to obtain. It is going well for the
most part.”
•the council met in closed ses
sion for approximately one hour
to discuss personnel and real es
tate. No action was taken.
Identity theft topic for chamber of commerce meeting Baldwin
chief warns
of scam
BY SHARON HOGAN
Identity theft, America’s
fastest growing white-col
lar crime, was the topic at
the monthly Banks County
Chamber of Commerce
breakfast on Thursday.
Jerry Boling, Total Infor
mation Protection Group,
said identity theft is being
referred to as the “common
epidemic.”
Boling said the five most
common types of identity
theft are: driver’s license, so
cial security, medical, char
acter/criminal and financial.
There were over two mil
lion cases of identity theft
reported from Jan. 10, 2005,
through 2007, Boling said.
Boling said employers are
being held liable for identity
theft that occurs in the work
place.
Boling said every small
business, including non
profits, are affected by the
Fair and Accurate Credit
Transactions Act (FACTA).
FACTA requires every
DISCUSSES IDENTITY THEFT
Jerry Boling, Total Information Protection Group,
discussed identity theft with members of the Banks
County Chamber of Commerce at Thursday’s break
fast meeting. Boling said identity theft is being re
ferred to as the “common epidemic.”
Photo by Sharon Hogan
small business to develop
and implement a written plan
for identity theft protection.
New FACTA guidelines
were implemented as of Jan.
1, 2008, and small business
Food bank hours given
The hours of operation of the Banks-Jackson Emergency
Food Bank, located at 111 Atlanta Avenue, Commerce, are
from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and
Friday.
The food bank provides one-time emergency food supplies
for individuals and families referred by churches or social ser
vice groups.
have until Nov. 1, 2008,
to comply with these new
guidelines, Boling said.
One of the new guidelines
says that credit card receipts
that contain all 16 digits of a
(F
person’s credit card number
and the expiration date must
be stored off-site from the
business.
Boling urged the chamber
members to check out the
www.privacyrights.org web
site for additional informa
tion.
Seth Hendricks, American
One, said a large number
of identity theft cases come
from people illegally obtain
ing credit card information
in restaurants.
Hendricks said if a con
sumer gets a credit card re
ceipt that shows all 16 digits
of the credit card number,
they should bring this to the
attention of the business.
Hendricks also brought up
the new guidelines for stor
age of credit card receipts.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Thurs
day’s meeting:
•Tara Fulcher, chamber di
rector, announced the ribbon
cutting for Christian Book
Store and Coffee House,
Banks Crossing, set for Fri
day, Oct. 17.
•Greg Pitts, manager, and
Susan Yearwood, market
ing, Georgia Department of
Tabor, Toccoa, presented in
formation packets and said
they are available to help
all the businesses in Banks
County who may need their
services.
•Fulcher announced the
Christmas event being
planned for downtown Hom
er. Fulcher said plans are to
have a Christmas bazaar,
tree decorating contest, tree
lighting at the courthouse
and a Christmas parade.
The next regularly sched
uled chamber breakfast will
be held at 8 a.m. on Thurs
day, Nov. 13, in the meeting
room at First Georgia Bank,
Homer.
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin Police Chief Dar
en Osborn warns residents
about a phone scam solicit
ing money for the Baldwin
Deputies Association.
Osborn said calls are be
ing made trying to solicit
money for the BDA.
“There is no BDA,” Os
born said. No chief’s de
partment or sheriff’s depart
ment solicits money over the
phone, Osborn added.
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Town of Alto
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Town of Alto does hereby announce that the millage rate of 2008 will be set at the Called Meeting to be held at the
City Hall on October 30, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. Therefore, the Town of Alto will hold public hearings for input at 12:00 p.m.
and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, and at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday October 30, 2008.
Pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32, does hereby publish the following presentation of the current
year’s tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
Current 2008 Year Tax Digest and 5-Year History of Levy
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Real & Personal
2,069,289
2.160,908
2.465,726
2.909,862
3,052,174
3.140,234
Motor Vehicles
208.830
220.540
257.650
226.940
191.360
177.060
Mobile Homes
162,796
159,344
158,288
149,357
159,564
159,564
Timber - 100%
0
0
0
0
0
0
Heavy Duty Equipment
0
0
0
0
0
0
Gross Digest
2,440,915
2.540,792
2.881,664
3.286,159
3,403,098
3.476,858
Less M & O Exempt
0
0
0
0
0
0
Net M & O Digest
2,440,915
2.540,792
2.881,664
3.286,159
3,403,098
3.476,858
Gross M & O Millage
5.900
5.900
5.900
5.900
5.900
6.200
Less Rollbacks
5.900
5.900
5.900
5.900
5.900
6.200
Net M & O Millage
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total City Taxes Levied
0
0
0
0
0
0
Net Taxes $ Increases
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Net Taxes % Increases
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%