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— www.BanksNewsTODAY.com —
5(K • Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 40 No. 4
Citizens air concerns on millage rate
BOE meets on proposed increase
BY SHARON HOGAN
Several citizens attended a public
hearing of the Banks County Board of
Education last week to speak in opposi
tion to a proposed millage rate increase.
The BOE is proposing a millage rate
of 13.244 mills. This is a 1.5 mills
increase over the 2007 millage of 11.744
mills.
Banks County resident Danny Sims
said he is concerned about the increase
because of the current economy.
“Everybody is cutting back big time
and a lot of workers are getting a lot less
hours,’’ Sims said. “Everybody I have
talked to is expecting a bad year this
coming year. It’s going to be tough on
some of the common working people.’’
Billy Griffin, Banks County resident,
asked about the vote taken earlier by the
BOE on the proposed increase. BOE
members Bo Garrison and Ben Ramsey
voted against the tax millage increase.
“I understand that two people voted
against the tax raise and three people for
it,’’ he said. “I’d like to hear the reasons
they voted for and against it.’’
Garrison said, “Well, one reason I
voted against it was as you saw there is
a two-and-a-half percent salary increase
for our certified and non-certified per
sonnel. My concern is we have citizens
out here, chicken farmers for instance,
that are sitting out of chickens anywhere
from 30 to 90 days without a salary,
without making nothing ... This doesn’t
look like a lot of money ... but to some it
is.’’ Garrison said he felt like even though
the raise was mandated by the state, the
school system could turn around on the
bottom side of the local supplement and
take that 2.5 percent back out. He added
that everyone’s salary would remain the
same as last year.
“Consciously, I could not vote for
this,’’ Garrison said.
Ramsey said, “We probably have close
to $500,000 outstanding in taxes that has
not been given to us. Now whether or not
we get that, I don’t know. It is tough to
see one way or the other but I think we
can do more not only as a board, but as a
community, to get that money and make
sure we get that money on time.’’
BOE member Neal Brown said he
looked at where the school system is at
in preparing the students to go out into
the workforce.
BOE member John Williams said,
“Eight years ago, when I came on this
board, I wanted to do the best to educate
the kids of Banks County.’’
BOE chairman Ron Gardiner encour
aged those in attendance to contact the
governor and the legislators about the
state cuts in education.
Banks County resident Kenneth
Cochran said, “Ya’ll just don’t under
stand the burden you are putting on
the taxpayers. I don’t know a teacher
who would want the raise if it meant
losing their job.’’
Jimmy Allen, Banks County resident,
said his wife is employed in the school
system and he would like for her to get
a raise because it would help him out.
However, he added that the increase in
taxes would be hard on him because
he is self-employed as a carpenter and
a farmer.
ANOTHER HEARING HELD
Another hearing on the budget was
held Monday night of this week and sev
eral teachers in the Banks County school
system turned out at the hearing to speak
in favor of the millage rate increase.
Mike Brown, a teacher in Banks
County since 2000, said, “We have kids
scoring the highest they’ve ever scored
on tests. It comes with a sacrifice, it’s
gonna’ mean more money.’’
Banks County teacher Scott Kersh
said, “We are about as lean as we can
get,’’ referring to teaching positions.
Kersh thanked the BOE for all of their
support to the teachers and he thanked
the taxpayers for the school facilities.
Banks County resident Michael
Mabry, said, “You have to be competi
tive in teacher salaries and hire the most
competent people possible.’’
Bud Reiselt, Banks County resident,
encourage the board to pass the 1.5 mill
increase. “We have excellent qualified
teachers and we need to keep them,’’
Reiselt said.
The Rev. James McLendon, Banks
County resident, said, “I believe you
will do what is best for our students, our
teachers and our Banks County school
system.’’
Richard Pitts, Lula, said he was against
the increased millage rate. “I think we
need to figure out a way to do this with
what we have.’’
The Banks County BOE was sched
uled to hold a called meeting at 6 p.m.
on Tuesday, Dec. 23, to vote on the
proposed millage rate. Results were not
available at press time due to the early
holiday deadlines.
Motes home;
Booth in ICU
Superior Court judge David
Motes is home after undergoing
surgery Thursday at an Athens
hospital, while judge Joe Booth
remains in the intensive care unit
at the hospital.
Motes’ surgery was connected
to a bone infection. A cyst was
removed during the surgery and
he returned home the next day.
Booth went to the hospital last
Thursday with flu-like symp
toms. The problem was later
found to be related to his colon
and he had emergency colon
removal surgery. He also has a
blood infection.
The court calendar will not be
impacted by the illnesses of the
judges. Senior court judges will
fill in for Motes and Booth.
Check out area
Christmas lights
Christmas lights and scenes
can be found in residences and
businesses across Banks County.
We will be fisting addresses of
holiday scenes for our readers
to check out. If you would like
to have your home or business
fisted, please call 706-367-2490
or e-mail angieeditor@aol.com.
Locations to check out
include:
•Thomas Gailey, 1435 Hwy.
105, Baldwin, as well as his
mother’s home directly across
the street.
•Downtown Homer.
News -2-3A
•Lula keeps millage
rate at zero — page 2A
• ‘The joy and the
stress’ — page 4A
Other news
• Social News — 5 & 8A
• Public Safety — 6A
•Legals — 6B
•Church — 4B
•Obituaries — 7A
—II • , • a ■ TINY SANTAS
unristmas in Lula ^
(second from left), 7
months, Lula, is not happy
after visiting with Santa at
the Christmas at the Depot
in Lula on Friday. But Chloe
Keeler (second from right),
5 months, Lula, is excited
by all the Christmas activi
ties in the depot.
CHRISTMAS
STORY
At left, a group of chil
dren gather around Donna
Lewallen at she reads The
Christmas Story at the
Christmas at the Depot
event in Lula Friday night.
Photos by Sharon Hogan
Kidd named new
Alto police chief
BY JUSTIN POOLE
The City of Alto has a new police chief.
The city council hired interim chief Allen “A.K.'
Kidd as the new police chief
during the Dec. 9 regular coun
cil meeting.
Kidd has served as interim
chief since November when
former Alto Police Chief Robin
Krockum resigned to accept a
position in Habersham County.
Serving with the new chief
on the city’s police department
are officers Israel Segers and
Tim Vaughan. The council
approved Segers to a full-time
KIDD
position. Vaughan remains a part-time officer for
the city.
Kidd’s first report as the city’s new chief reported
that the vandalism case from last month has yet to
be resolved. While he does have suspects, Kidd is
compiling enough evidence before making an arrest
and asks for any citizens with information to contact
him or city hall.
Other business during the Dec. 9 meeting includ
ed the council:
•approving consultant Donald Wade to inspect
two bids for the water tank maintenance contract and
make a decision based on the findings.
•approving the current qualifying bids for mayor
and council member to remain the same at $90 for
mayor and $36 for council member.
•approving the town charter to be updated in the
General Assembly
•approving a budget amendment.
•discussing the call report from Kidd. Alto Police
Department responded to 177 calls, the majority
being traffic stops.
Early deadlines set
The deadline to submit items for the Dec. 31
issue of The Banks County News is Friday, Dec. 26,
at 5 p.m. The newspaper office will be closed on
Thursday, Jan. 1, for New Year. The offices will be
open on Friday, Jan. 2.
Items may be e-mailed to angela@mainstreet-
news.com or faxed to 706-387-5414.
On a typical production week, the deadline to
submit church, school and social items is noon on
Mondays.
Lula man charged with shooting nephew in leg
The Hall County Sheriff’s
Office, Criminal Investigation
Division, is investigating
a shooting that occurred on
Harris Road in East Hall
County that left a Lula man
hospitalized.
Deputies responded to a
report of a shooting on Harris
McDOUGALD
Road off White Hall Road in East Hall. Upon
their arrival, they discovered that 61-year-old
Larry D. McDougald of Lula had shot his neph
ew, 20-year-old Gavin Passmore, also of Lula,
with a small caliber handgun in the leg during a
domestic dispute.
The victim was transported to the Northeast
Georgia Medical Center with a non-life threaten
ing gunshot wound to the leg.
McDougald was arrested and charged with
aggravated assault, convicted felon in possession
of a firearm, and possession of a firearm during
the commission of a felony. He was booked into
the Hall County Jail and is currently being held
without bond.
The incident remains under investigation
by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal
Investigation Division.