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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2,2023
Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements
Vol. 57 No. 33
Community
pep rally to be
held Friday
A community pep rally
will be held at 7:30 p.m. on
Friday, Aug. 4.
“Come and meet and
greet your 2023 Gridiron
Leopards,” organizers state.
The event will include
concessions, games and
prizes.
BOC to set
millage rate
on Aug. 8
The Banks County Board
of Commissioners will
meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tues
day, Aug. 8, to set the mill-
age rate.
The proposed millage
rate is 6.354, down from the
current 7.012.
The meeting will be held
at the Courthouse Annex
meeting room, located at
150 Hudson Ridge, Homer.
The BOC has reduced the
millage rate for the past five
years, beginning in 2018
when it was 8.9.
Chamber
CVBgolf
tourney
planned
The Banks County
Chamber of Commerce
CVB annual golf tourna
ment will be held Sept. 29
at Double Oaks Golf Club,
Commerce.
The shotgun start will be
at 8:30 a.m. The fee is $400
for teams and $100 for in
dividuals. Lunch will be
served at the clubhouse. For
registration or more infor
mation, call 706-335-4866.
Farmers
market held
in Maysville
Farmers are selling their
local produce at markets
offered in Maysville. A
Farmers Market is held in
Maysville on Saturdays
and Tuesdays each week..
The farmers market will be
held at Veterans Park. The
hours will be 8 a.m. to noon
on Saturdays, and 6 p.m.
to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. For
vendor information, call
404-281-4928.
Back to School:
Classes started Tuesday with 2,900 students
Banks County Schools welcomed 2,900 students on the
first day of classes on Tuesday, August 1.
Enrollment is the same as on the first day of school last
year.
Students had the opportunity to tour schools and meet
their teachers during Open House that was held prior to
the first day.
This year’s system-wide theme is “Best Year Ever” and
it has been embraced by the Banks County faculty.
There are many new faces to the system this year that
bring a wealth of enthusiasm, experience and knowledge,
school leaders state.
Dr Ann Hopkins stated, “As we open the doors of a
new school year and embark on the best year ever, let
us do so with hope, excitement, and a positive attitude
as this year promises to be brimming with opportunities
for growth, discovery, and making meaningful memories
together.”
She added, “I firmly believe that the foundation of our
success lies in the unwavering commitment of our ex
ceptional faculty and staff, the steadfast support of our
parents, and the dedication of our students. With such
a remarkable team, I am confident that this year will be
nothing short of extraordinary.”
These Banks County students are checking out their schedules for the new school year. Stu
dents returned to school for the 2023-2024 school year.
Banks BOE proposes 10 percent tax increase
The Banks County Board
of Education plans to in
crease the property taxes it
will levy this year by 10.37
percent over the rollback
millage rate.
In the past 25 years, the
millage rate has been in
creased above the rollback
rate seven times.
In 1999, an increase of
2.00 mills; in 2004, an in
crease of 1.50 mills; in 2009,
an increase of 1.50 mills;
in 2013, an increase of 1.0
mills; in 2019, an increase
of .625 mills; in 2020, an in
crease of .195 mills; and in
2021, an increase of 1.016
mills. In 2019, 2020
“In 2019, 2020 and 2021,
we were merely maintain
ing our millage rate at the
prior year amount of 14.511
mills,” superintendent Dr.
Ann Hopkins states.
She adds, “In 2022, we
lowered the millage rate to
14.000 mills from the prior
year rate of 14.511 mills. In
2022, despite the millage
being lowered to 14.000, the
millage did increase by 1.01
mills over the rollback rate
of 12.990.”
In 2023, the Banks Coun
ty Board of Education pro
poses to maintain the mill-
age rate at 14.000 mills.
“Also, if we adopted the
rollback rate of 12.685 mills
we would lose $750,818 in
state funding (Equalization
Grant) which would equal
roughly .780 mills,” Hop
kins said.
When the total digest
of taxable property is pre
pared, Georgia law requires
that a rollback millage rate
must be computed that will
produce the same total reve
nue on the current year’s di
gest that last year’s millage
rate would have produced
had no reassessments oc
curred.
The budget tentatively
set by the Banks County
Board of Education requires
a millage rate higher than
the rollback millage rate;
therefore, before the Banks
County Board of Education
may set a final millage rate,
Georgia law requires three
public hearings to be held to
allow the public an oppor
tunity to express their opin
ions on the increase.”
All concerned citizens are
invited to the public hear
ings on this tax increase to
be held at the Banks County
Board of Education, 1989
Historic Homer Highway,
on Thursday. August 10 at
6:30 p.m. and on Thursday.
August 17 at 11 a.m. and
6:30 p.m.
Jaemor site to be used for convenience/gas store
By ANGELA GARY
The former Jaemor site at
Banks Crossing will be con
verted into a convenience
store that also offers gas
sales.
The Banks County Board
of Commissioners approved
a request at its June meet
ing from Stanton Porter that
.92-acres located at 40081
Highway 441 be condition
ally used as a convenience
food and retail business
with retail gas sales.
Stanton Porter presented
the request on behalf of the
applicant.
He said plans are to re
move part of the building,
a 30x32 section, redo the
exterior of the building and
place 29 parking spaces, in
cluding five dual-sided fuel
pumps.
“It will be a modem-look
ing convenience store,” Por
ter said. “It is a great use of
an existing building.”
In other planning busi
ness, the BOC also rec
ommended approval of a
request from Eli Sanders
that the property located
on Highway 63 at the in
tersection of Highway 184
Sunshine Church be con
ditionally used as a poultry
operation with reduced set
backs.
No one spoke in opposi
tion to the request.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the
BOC:
•tabled two appointments
to the planning and zoning
appeals board. Both terms
end on July 31, 2026. This
will be on the agenda at the
Aug. 22 meeting.
•tabled one appointment
to the recreation board. This
will be on the agenda at the
Aug. 22 meeting.
•approved the lighting
services agreement with
Georgia Power for replac
ing lighting at the Annex
Building.
•approved a Cyber Se
curity Monitoring and Pro
tection agreement with
Neatoware for the E911
department. The cost will
be $36,348 for the yearly
contract.
•heard from fire chief
Steve Nichols that the
county has been award
ed a FEMA grant for a
mini-pumper rescue track
at a cost of $381,000. The
county will be responsi
ble for providing matching
funds of $35,421.
•awarded the Hudson
River Gravity Sewer main
project to Wilcorp Inc. for
$10.8 million.
Milestone/EQC results released:
Banks below the state in most grades and
subjects except for some math and science
MAILING LABEL
4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 3 1 111 3
The Georgia Department
of Education released the
2022-23 End of Grade Mile
stones results last week.
Reading is scored based on
percentage at grade level.
The remaining subjects
are scored in lour catego
ries (in order from lowest:
Beginning, developing,
proficient and distinguished
learners). Banks County
students scored above the
state average in third grade
math, fifth grade math and
eighth grade science.
THIRD GRADE
Third grade reading (per
centage above grade level):
•Banks County: 56.4 per
cent
•State: 65.9 percent
Third grade English lan
guage arts (percentage of
developing learner and
above):
•Banks: 54.5 percent
•State: 64.3 percent
Third grade math (per
centage of developing
learner and above):
•Banks County: 81.1
•State: 79.5
FIFTH GRADE
Fifth grade reading (per
centage above grade level):
•Banks County: 65.4 per
cent
•State: 68.8 percent
English language arts
(percentage developing
learner and above):
•Banks County: 71.4 per
cent
•State: 73.5
Fifth grade math (per
centage developing learner
and above):
•Banks Country: 73.7
percent
•State: 68.3
Fifth grade science (per
centage developing learner
and above):
•Banks County: 62.7 per
cent
•State: 64.4 percent
EIGHTH GRADE
Eighth grade reading
(percentage above grade
level):
•Banks County: 68. 2 per
cent
•State: 71.5 percent
Eighth grade English
language arts (percentage
developing learner and
above):
•Banks County: 71.0 per
cent
•State: 76
Eighth grade math (per
centage developing learner
and above):
•Banks County: 69.4
•State: 71.1
Eighth grade science
(percentage developing
learner and above):
•Banks County: 69.1
•State: 52.9
Eighth grade social stud
ies (percentage developing
learner and above):
•Banks County: 69.6
•State: 70.9
HIGH SCHOOL
Banks County High
School topped the state av
erage in U.S. History on the
Georgia End of Course tests
but fell below the state in
American Lit and Composi
tion, Algebra I and Biology.
The Georgia Department
of Education released the
2022-23 Milestones results
last week. Students can
score in four categories (in
order from lowest: Begin
ning, developing, proficient
and distinguished learners).
The following are results
from Jackson County high
schools (based on students
scoring as developing learn
er and above):
American lit and comp.
• State 73.9
• Banks County 63.1
Algebra 1
• State 66.3
• Banks County High 50
Biology
• State 69.9
• Banks County High
School 67.8
U.S. History
• State 72
• Banks County 89.5