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Basketball: IB Lady Leopards tie for second in region Feature: 5A Relay for Life kick off held — www.BanksNewsTODAY.com — 50<t • Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 22 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 44 No. 6 Homer reviews historic district expansion BY ERIN ROSSITER Homer City Council continued its review of how to expand the city’s historic district during its regular January meeting. Chip Wright, regional planner at the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, presented an aerial map to the council on Tuesday. It showed the current district centered on Homer's downtown and the proposed areas the council should consider including with any kind of addition. Neighborhoods and landmarks south of down town, such as Poker Hill and what’s known as Wileys gas station/general store, were the focus. Mayor Doug Cheek also discussed incorporating the cotton gin in some way. Other places neighboring downtown were ruled out largely because the areas would be “noncon tributing,” a term Wright used to describe locations that had lost historic character due mainly to devel opment, disrepair or demolition. Homes in the current district that were built 50 years ago are also of note, Wright said. Whereas ranch homes may not have been considered his toric properties when Homer first established its district several years ago, those homes now qualify, according to the National Park Service that admin isters the National Registry of Historic Places. What that means is more property owners are eligible to receive tax credits, should they work to keep the historic integrity of their homes on the outside, Wright said. “That’s the fun thing, ranch houses are now 50 years old.” he said. Wright said there are costs associated with the regional commission’s work to facilitate the pro cess that were not in place before because of the economy. He expected the planning work would not surpass $2,000 and that the amended applica tion to the Park Service would total about $2,600. The council will be notified of the costs before any work takes place, he said. “If this is what you want to do, our next step would be to do a district amendment application, where we would pretty much lay everything we want to do here and base it on our good track record ( in the current district),” Wright said. If authorized, he will shepherd the project to completion, work that would include classifying structures as contributing or not, attending public hearings and leading any informational meetings. Education is key, he said, and should include stakeholders such as real estate agents and accoun tants whose familiarity with the benefits available to homeowners and clients — including tens of thousands in possible tax credits — could smooth the way for everyone involved. “You’re not telling (homeowners) what to do, your providing them a service,” Wright said. “With this help they can maintain their property, keep it looking good, not spend any more money and at the same time contribute to the integrity of Homer.” continued on page 5A 'Cute pet' photo contest planned The Banks County News is sponsoring a “cute pet photo” contest over the next month. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite pet photo by Feb. 18, with winners to be printed Feb. 29. Photos may dropped off at The Banks County News office in Homer, or mailed to: Angela Gary, The Banks County News, 33 Lee Street, Jefferson, Ga., 30549. Include the name of the pet, the name of the person who took the photo, an address (for prizes to be sent to) and a phone number. The photos should not have any people in them — pets only. The prizes will be: $50 first prize; $30 second prize; and $20 third prize. There will also be free subscriptions to the news paper given to any honorable mention photos. Inside •FFA hosts youth deer hunt in county — page 5B • ‘Paying tribute to a real hero’ • ‘Using our resouro es’ 1 CHEERING ON THE LEOPARDS The Banks County Middle School cheerleaders hit the mark during a recent performance. The team has been working the crowds at recent games and the fans respond to the squad with great spirit for the home teams. The cheerleading squad has been working on new routines with first-year coach Lauren Boone. “Our motto for this entire year was: ‘We work hard at practice and play hard at games.’ In the future, I only hope to have the same work ethic and desire carried on, a growing population of girls interested and involved, and positive attitudes.” The last home game left on the schedule is coming up Friday night. Photo by Randy Crump City of Baldwin ends FY2011 in the black For the second year in a row. the Baldwin city government ended its fis cal year in the black. That is a turn around from FY2009 when the city found itself with a negative reserve bal ance of $67,000. For FY2011, Baldwin had a positive net of $160,000. That’s on top of last year’s positive net of $99,000. In the city’s general fund. Baldwin had revenues of $1.6 million, virtually the same as the year before. The town’s main source of income was taxes at $958,400 followed by service charges at $427,200. Police fines and forfeitures made up another $210,500 in income. On the expense side, public safety — police and fire — made up the bulk of the town’s spending at $975,500. The police department spent less than it did the year before, but still made up a high 39 percent of the city’s total spending. Public works made up another $248,900 in city spending while gen eral government expenses came in at $195,200. While Baldwin has begun to turn a corner in its financial standing, the town continues to struggle with its cash flow. Baldwin did have more unrestricted cash on hand at the end of FY2011 than last year, it also had more accounts pay able. The town did reduce its general receivables from $213,800 to $204,000 in FY2011. The city did come under two audit citations related to the town’s police department. Auditors found that city tickets issued by the police did not have all the necessary information needed to determine the outcome of the tickets and fines. Related to that, auditors said the city police department had a “very manual process” for its tickets and fines that left the city open to fraud and other abuse. Auditors said the city’s computer system had the ability to handle the cash correctly, but that it was not being used. The city agreed to fix the problem in 2012. WATER AND SEWER In Baldwin’s water and sewer fund, the town showed a loss of $177,250 in the year. But taking depreciation out, the fund showed a positive cash flow. But auditors found a number of bill ing errors in the city’s water and sewer billing system, apparently due to some one having entered incorrect data into the system. Because of those problems, the city did an internal audit in December to uncover other billing errors. The town also said it would begin having a second person double check utility billing. Other news •Social -7&12A •Church — 8A •Obituaries — 9A • Public Safety — 6A • Legal s — 6-9 B •School — 4-5B Lula Business Roundtable Meeting set for Thurs. The Lula Business Promotion Committee of the Lula Downtown Development Authority is sponsoring the Lula Area Business Roundtable Meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lula City Hall. The meeting is open to all busi nesses, leaders state. “We want to spend a few minutes and bring you up to date on what has happened as a result of our meeting last January and what is being planned for 2012,” leaders said. The majority of the meeting will be devoted to a roundtable discussion of what business owners are doing to generate additional business for their companies. Leaders said the ideas generated from this discussion can bring busi nesses together to: strengthen your business, get new customers, keep the customers you have, support other local businesses and improve your bottom line. The meeting will be a great time for networking and everyone is encour aged to bring plenty of business cards. Refreshments will be provided. Gillsville Hooper to fill council seat Only one person qualified for the vacant seat on the Gillsville City Council, so an election will not be necessary. Rudess Hooper, who has served on the council in the past, was the only one who qualified. Mayor Larry Poole said: “Rudess brings to the council a wealth of experience not only in the operation of a town but also in fostering and maintaining a spirit of community. He will be a great asset to our council, as well as the city as a whole.” Baldwin Five to seek council Post 3 Five people qualified last week to run for the vacant city council seat in the City of Baldwin. The following qualified to fill the Post 3 council seat recently vacated by Rodney King: Alice C. Dover, Joe Elam, Melissa A. Pierce, Mark Reed and Henson B. Reeder. The city will hold its elec tion on Tuesday. March 6. The last day to register to vote is Monday, Feb. 6. Alto Candidates to seek three posts Several candidates qualified last week at the Habersham County Registrar’s Office to have their name on the ballot for the Town of Alto’s special election to be held on Tuesday, March 6. Incumbent Carolyn Cabe qualified for the post 1 seat on the city council. That seat expires Dec. 31,2013. Incumbent Kathryn (Kathy) Clark and Cheryl Closs both qualified for the post 4 council seat that expires on Dec. 31, 2015. John Closs and Greg M. Pruitt qualified for the post 5 council seat that expires on Dec. 31,2013.