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PAGE 2A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2017
Tax assessors upset with BOE
decision not to fund position
BY ANGELA GARY
The Banks County Board
of Tax Assessors has been
informed that the board of
education decided against
partially funding a new coun
ty position to update proper
ty value.
Chief tax appraiser Guy
Rogers presented the pro
posal to the BOE in May. He
estimates that updating the
property values would bring
an additional $500,000 in
revenue to the board of com
missioners and $700,000 to
the BOE.
Rogers reported at the July
12 board of tax assessors
meeting that he had received
a letter from school super
intendent Stan Davis stating
that the BOE decided against
providing the funds.
“They are not going to
fund it,” Rogers told the tax
assessor board. “They dis
cussed it and decided not to
do it. I think it’s a big mistake
on their part.”
Tax assessor board mem
ber Sam Moon stated, “That
is a poor decision on their
part.”
Rogers had already
received support for his pro
posal from the Banks County
Board of Commissioners and
county tax assessor board.
When Rogers presented
the plan to the BOE in May,
members of the board ques
tioned the school system
being asked to pay $20,000
to fund the position when
it already pays $200,000 to
the county to collect school
taxes.
In other business at the
board of tax assessors meet
ing:
• a contract with TBS was
approved for the company
to conduct random audits
of companies to make sure
they are in compliance. The
contract calls for expenses
to be a maximum of $20,000.
• Rogers reported that the
county received 202 proper
ty value appeals.
• Rogers reported that the
county’s Georgia Depart
ment of Audit ratio is 40.3
percent. Len Dalton, chair
man of the board of tax
assessors, stated: “That is a
job well done. Thank you.”
County project update given
BY ANGELA GARY
Banks County Board
of Commission chairman
Jimmy Hooper gave an
update on county projects
last week at the July board
meeting.
The project update includ
ed the following:
• right-of-way has been
acquired for the Eisenhower
Road/Faulkner Drive project
and the project is “shov
el-ready.”
•bids will be opened on
the senior center project on
Aug. 10.
•work is continuing on
the updated county employ
ee personnel policy and it is
expected to be implemented
in the fall.
•the event center at
Banks Crossing is on hold
because Rep. Dan Gasaway
did not introduce legislation
to increase the motel tax to
fund the project, Hooper
stated.
• bids will be taken in Sep
tember on the Gowder Road
improvement project.
•construction will begin
soon on the Diana Foods
facility locating at Banks
Crossing.
•a comprehensive plan
update is planned.
Hooper also spoke on
the transportation local
option sales tax that was not
approved by voters in 2012.
He didn’t endorse or oppose
the tax but stated that it could
be placed on the Novem
ber ballot for voters to again
consider. He said it could
generate $15 million over five
years to be used on road
improvements. If passed
sales tax in Banks County
would increase from seven
cents per $1 to eight cents.
In other business at the
meeting, the BOC:
• approved a bid from Car
ter’s for $6,700 for erosion
work at the new training facil
ity for the sheriff’s office.
•approved a credit card
system policy for the sher
iff’s office with a maximum
one-time purchase limit of
$4,000.
•heard from Sheriff Carl
ton Speed about the need
for a “body bug” to be used
in undercover operations.
No action was taken but the
sheriff agreed to get more
information to present to the
commissioners.
Banks BOE approves personnel
BY ANGELA GARY
The Banks County Board
of Education approved sev
eral personnel items after a
closed session meeting held
Thursday evening.
Those hired by the board
of education include the fol
lowing:
• Heather Geipel - Teach
er, effective beginning of
2017-2018 school year.
• Sherry Lewis - Teacher,
effective beginning of 2017-
2018 school year.
• Clarissa Duncan
Teacher, effective beginning
of 2017-2018 school year.
• Christy Beasley - Teach
er, effective beginning of
2017-2018 school year.
•Kelly Peppers - 49 per
cent teacher, effective 2017-
2018 school year.
• Theo Caldwell - 49 per
cent teacher, effective 2017-
2018 school year.
•Linda Hawks - 49 per
cent teacher, effective 2017-
2018 school year.
•Danny Hicks - 49 per
cent teacher, effective 2017-
2018 school year.
• Pam Strrickland - 49 per
cent teacher, effective 2017-
2018 school year.
•Bobby Wood - Teach
er, effective 2017-2018 school
year.
•Beth Seay - Paraprofes-
sional, effective beginning of
2017-2018 school year.
• Katrina Boyd - Bus driv
er, effective beginning of
2017-2018 school year.
• Megan Kilgore - Bus
driver, effective beginning of
2017-2018 school year.
i2
MAKING LANTERNS
Area youth made lanterns as part of an arts and
craft project at the Banks County Public Library.
Homer Planning Commission
to meet July 27 on zoning
The Town of Homer Planning Commission will hold a
public hearing at town hall on Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. to
receive public comments on the application of Banks County
Golf, LLC for a proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance
to zone property located at 491 Scales Creek Road from R-l
Single-Family Residential District to R-2 Multi-family Residential
District.
A copy of the application is available for public inspection at
the Homer Town Hall.
The public hearing of Homer Town Council will be on Tues
day, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m. The town council will consider adoption
of the zoning request at the regular meeting immediately fol
lowing the public hearing.
BOC to meet Aug. 10
The Banks County Commissioners will hold a called meet
ing on Thursday, August 10, at 2:30 p.m. in the board room of
the Banks County Courthouse Annex. The purpose of the
meeting is to open submitted bids for the construction/reno-
vation of the Banks County Senior Center.
Rotary Club sponsors
Food 2 Kids Program
The Banks County Rotary Club is sponsoring the Food 2
Kids Program in the county school system.
“School isn’t just a place for learning,” organizers state. “For
some of our most impoverished kids, it’s also the only reliable
source of food in their lives. The sad tmth is that from Friday
afternoon until they return to school on Monday morning,
some of these children may not know if or how much they’ll
get to eat.”
Food 2 Kids is a program that helps bridge that gap for some
of the community’s neediest kids. Sacks of kid-friendly food-
enough for at least six meals—are handed out every week to
children identified by school teachers, counselors and officials
as being most in need.
To donate or for more information, contact Sallie Hensley
at 706-713-0730.
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