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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020
• Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 54 No. 5
Index
Baldwin to hold election March 16 to fill council seat
•News 2A
•Opinions/School 4A
•Crime 6A
•Sports 3A.5A
•Obituanes 10-IIA
•Classifieds 8 A
•Legals 9A
Motor vehicle
system to be
upgraded
Banks County, in partner
ship with the Department
of Revenue, will upgrade
its Georgia DRIVES Motor
Vehicles System.
The Georgia Department
of Revenue (DOR) is up
grading to a new version of
the Georgia Driver Record
and Integrated Vehicle En
terprise System (DRIVES).
“This upgrade will keep
us up-to-date with the latest
technology advances and
will ensure we have access
to the most recent enhance
ments and features of the
software,” tax commission
er Becky Carlan stated.
Implementation of the up
grade will require vehicle
registrations and titling ser
vices, including e-Services
and tag renewal kiosks, to
be unavailable Wednesday,
January 13, through Mon
day. January 18.
Vehicle owners with re
newal dates in January are
encouraged to do so prior to
January 13 to avoid delays.
What to Expect: Wednes
day. January 13, 2021:
•County Tag Offices and
the Motor Vehicle Division
will not be able to process
transactions.
•All online motor vehicle
related services including
online tag renewal services
will be offline January 13 -
January 18.
•Motor Vehicle Self Ser
vice Kiosks will be offline
January 13 - January 18.
•During the week of Janu
ary 19-22, walk-in custom
ers may experience delays
and longer than normal wait
times. To avoid such delays,
Georgia residents with Jan
uary and February renewal
dates are encouraged to re
new prior to January 13.
•Customers and deal
ers seeking to conduct any
title transactions should
complete their business at
a county tag office prior to
January 13.
•Dealers will be able to
initiate electronic title and
registration (ETR) transac
tions and issue temporary
operating permits (TOPs)
over MLK Day weekend.
•Law enforcement will
still have access to motor
vehicle records through a
statewide backup file.
Call the Banks County
Tax Commissioner's Office
a call at 706-677-6204 for
more information on the up
coming scheduling changes.
MAILING LABEL
By SHARON HOGAN
sharon@mainstreetnews. com.
The Baldwin City Coun
cil approved, at its recent
council meeting, holding a
special called election on
March 16, 2021, to fill the
vacant Post 4 city council
seat.
The seat has been vacant
since the September 2020
resignation of councilman
Jeff Parrish.
Qualifying for the March
election will be held Mon
day, January 11. 2021,
through Friday, January 15,
2021, between the hours
of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Thursday,
and 8:30 a.m. to noon on
Friday.
The qualifying fee is $35.
Qualifying will take place
at Habersham County Elec
tions and Voter Registration,
130 Jacob’s Way, Suite 101,
Clarkesville.
The person elected will
begin serving immediate
ly and will serve until the
term ends on December 31,
2021.
If a run-off is required,
it will be held on April 13,
2021.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the
meeting, the council ap
proved the following items:
•annexation and rezoning
request from Lula Capital
LLC for property located
on Wilbanks Rd. - with a
reduction in density.
•purchase of a mini-exca
vator and trailer, at a cost not
to exceed $50,000 - to be
funded with Banks County
Special Purpose Local Op
tion Sales Tax (SPLOST) 3
revenue.
•$25,126 in repairs to the
Lee Arrendale State Prison
lift station - to be paid out
of the prison operating and
maintenance fund.
•2021 Habersham County
Inmate Agreement.
•variance request for
Adams Homes AEC LLC
on six lots in the Highland
Pointe Subdivision - reduc
ing the front setback to 20
feet instead of 35.
•variance request for a
special use for Glenn and
Donna Nix to combine six
tracts of property into one
and place a double-wide
manufactured home on the
property.
•water and sewer rate in
crease, effective March 31,
2021.
•Georgia Environmental
Finance Authority (GEFA)
loan agreement to fund a
water transmission line
from the city’s water distri
bution plant to the J. Warren
pump station. The loan is
for $1,036 million - 30-per
cent principal forgiveness
($310,800) - with the bal
ance financed at 2.59 per
cent interest.
•a property bid packet for
18.95 acres on Industrial
Blvd. that is owned by the
city - bids will be accepted
until 3 p.m. on January 30,
2021.
•recognized town em
ployee Cody Cantrell as the
2021 Baldwin Public Works
Employee of the Year. Pub
lic works director Scott
Barnhart presented a plaque
to Cantrell.
Rotary donates books to BCHS
As part of the club initiative to contribute to literacy in the community, the Banks
County Rotary Club donates books to the local school system in honor of the speak
ers at each week’s club meeting. Joy Edwards (right) is shown accepting books at
Banks County High School on behalf of Rotarian Vickie Martin (left), BCHS media
specialist.
227 COVID cases
reported in Banks
County in past week
By ANGELA GARY
angela@mainstreetne ws .com
Banks County has had 227 more positive COVID-19 test
results since last week, according to data from the Georgia
Department of Public Health.
Data shows that 1.028 Banks County residents have test
ed positive for the virus since March, compared to 801 who
had been reported last week. There have been 17 deaths in
the county since March due to COVID-19 and 121 people
have been hospitalized because of the virus.
Banks County is having a large Covid outbreak, making
it one of the most troubled areas in Northeast Georgia for
the virus.
As for the percentage of those who tested over the past
week, 19.5 percent were positive for COVID.
BOE approves personnel
By ANGELA GARY
angela@mainstreetne ws .com
The Banks County Board of Education approved sever
al personnel items at its December meeting, including the
following: the retirement of Billy Whitlock, bus driver, and
Kim Standridge, teacher; and hiring Ricky Baker, bus driv
er.
In other business, the BOE approved the following:
•application for facilities use — Georgia S3DA (Scho
lastic 3D Archery) to utilize Leopards Den 2.0 for Scholas
tic 3D Archery on February 13 & 14.
•Banks County High School Tennis to sponsor a T-shirt
fundraiser December 2020 - April 2021
•BCHS Tennis to sponsor tennis tournament (dates to be
announced after regular tennis season).
•approved the fiscal year 2021-2022 school year calen
dar.
Early voting under way
for Jan. 5 runoff election
By ANGELA GARY
angela@mainstreetnews.com
Early voting is underway
for the Jan. 5 runoff race
and 1,860 people have al
ready cast a ballot.
Early voting will be held
Dec. 14 — 18. Dec. 21 —
23 and Dec. 29-31.
All early voting will be
at the Registrars Office in
Homer, from 8 a.m. until
5 p.m. daily.
All Election Day voting,
on Jan. 5, will be at the
Banks County Recreation
Department, from 7 a.m. to
7 p.m.
ON THE BALLOT
Three races will be on the
ballot in the Jan. 5 run-off
election.
•The Public Service
Commission race between
incumbent Republican Lau
ren “Bubba” McDonald and
Democrat Daniel Black
man.
•The Senate race between
Republican Sen. David Per
due and Democrat Jon Os-
soff.
•The Senate race between
Republican Sen. Kelly
Loeffler and Democrat Ra
phael Warnock.
COLLECTED BLANKETS FOR AREA SENIORS
Banks County E-911 collected blankets to be delivered to the Banks County Senior
Center, Northridge Nursing Home, Habersham Retreat and The Oaks in Baldwin
during Christmas.
BEASLEY AT EAST HALL GAME
Photo by savagehoops.com
Kaylyn Beasley is shown during a recent home game
vs. East Hall. See story and more photos on page 3A.
