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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2023
Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
Vol. 57 No. 35
Banks County company sues
SK Battery over fire damage
Maysville
to set
millage
rate Aug. 21
The Maysville City
Council will meet at 6 p.m.
on Aug. 21 to set the mill-
age rate for Banks and Jack-
son County. The meeting
will be held at city hall,
located at 4 Homer Street,
Maysville.
The proposed millage rate
is 0.264 for Banks Coun
ty and 0.640 for Jackson
County. In 2022, the mill-
age rate was 0.769 in Banks
and 0.322 in Banks.
Davis
named
finalist for
code officer
position
Dale Cash has been
named by the Banks Coun
ty Board of Commissioners
as the finalist for the code
enforcement officer posi
tion.
The action was taken af
ter a closed session to dis
cuss personnel at a called
meeting last week.
The BOC will vote to hire
Cash when it meets on Aug.
24 at 1 p.m. on the Annex
Building in Homer.
Qualifying
set for Lula
election
The City of Lula will
open qualifying for Lula
Council positions on Mon
day, August 21, to Wednes
day, August 23.
Districts 1, currently held
by Tony Cornett, District 4,
which is currently held by
Garnett Smith, and District
5 which is currently vacant
will be on the ballot..
The town election will be
held, on Tuesday, Novem
ber 7.
City of Lula Council
Qualifying Period will be
8:30 am till 4:30 pm-Mon-
day, August 21, through
Wednesday, August 23,
Lula City Hall, District 1,
4, & 5.
BY ANGELA GARY
A Banks County man
claims that a battery com
pany is responsible for the
fire that destroyed several
buildings.
Scott Ledford, owner of
Metro Site, has filed a law
suit against SK Battery of
Commerce.
Ledford contends that the
company included batteries
that were not allowed in
items they disposed of at his
company.
He is seeking $26.5 mil
lion in damages.
Metro Site, located on In
dustrial Boulevard at Banks
Crossing, was heavily dam
aged in the fire in mid-July.
The lawsuit states: “This
is a case about a foreign
company that ignored the
risk of harm posed by its il
legal and intentional dump
ing of hazardous materials
into a roll-off container it
knew was bound for a pub
lic recycling facility. The
company’s disregard for a
known risk led to the total
destruction of a local recy
cling business. This action
is brought to recover dam
ages caused by intentional
misconduct, and to prevent
this illegal dumping of haz
ardous waste from ever hap
pening again.”
SK Battery America, Inc.
manufactures pouch-cell
lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
BY SHERRY LEWIS
The Lula City Council
voted to initiate the removal
of Councilman Gene Bram-
lett after spending more
than an hour in closed ses
sion on Monday.
The three-person coun
cil, Tony Cornett, Garnett
Smith, and Denise Shock-
ley, also unanimously vote
to start an investigation of
Bramlett.
Bramlett has been under
fire many times since taking
office after his ousted long
time councilman Mordecai
Wilson two years ago.
The latest allegation hap
pened after information was
leaked following an execu
tive session when the coun
cil discussed hiring a new
assistant city manager.
Once the council dis
cussed the matter City At
torney Joey Homans, they
voted to hire Ab Hayes, an
attorney for the Gainesville
The LIBs are sold to Ford
for its F-150 Lightning
truck, and to Volkswagen
for its ID.4 electric vehicle.
Metro Site, Inc. is a local
recycling and disposal com
pany that has been recycling
the non-hazardous waste
generated by SK Battery
America, Inc., for the past
three years.
The lawsuit states, “SK
Battery America, Inc. reg
ularly dumped its non-haz-
ardous waste into large roll
off containers, which were
then transported to Metro
Site, Inc’s facility. SK Bat
tery America, Inc. knew that
it should never send LIBs to
a recycling facility, such as
Metro Site, Inc., because,
not only are the LIBs non-re-
cyclable, but they also con
tain hazardous chemicals
that can easily catch fire and
explode. SK Battery Ameri
ca, Inc. repeatedly promised
and assured Metro Site Inc.
that the waste that it sent
would not contain LIBs. SK
Battery America, Inc. broke
that promise, and, in doing
so, placed Metro Site, Inc.’s
business and employees at
risk of harm.”
Metro Site leaders state
that the risk came to fruition
on July 14, 2023, when SK
Battery America, Inc. “in
tentionally sent Metro Site,
Inc. a load of waste that
contained hazardous pouch
firm, Hulsey, Oliver, and
Mahar, to investigate this
matter.
In other business the
council:
•held a public hearing to
consider a 5-year plan for
water and sewer rates.
•noted that the Belton
Bridge water line bid would
open on September 5.
•said that the improve
ments to the Oconee Well
will move forward.
•discussed improvements
to the Wellness Parks. The
wi-fi project is underway.
•said the bid development
is underway to replace the
culvert on Chattahoochee
and Carter Streets,
•discussed a possible
Neighborhood Watch pro
gram; the city had one in the
past, and the council hopes
to meet with Banks County
Sheriff Carlton Speed and
Hall County Sheriff Joe
Couch to discuss revitaliz-
cell LIBs hidden within the
pile. SK Battery America,
Inc. provided a false man
ifest for the load that mis
represented the load’s con
tents - that being the hidden
pouch cell LIBs.
As Metro Site, Inc. pro
cessed the load, a violent
fire broke out.”
Despite attempts to ex
tinguish the flames, the fire
consumed Metro Site, Inc. ’s
facility, destroying its busi
ness and causing life-alter
ing economic loss.
The lawsuit states that a
joint investigation into the
root cause of the fire re
vealed several LIBs hidden
within the waste pile that
SK Battery America, Inc.
had sent to Metro Site, Inc.
Ledford states, “Although
SK Battery may describe the
fire as having “some other
origin,” there can be no dis
pute that its LIB’s—which
never should have been sent
to Metro Site in the first in
stance—caused the fire. SK
Battery America, Inc.’s ac
tions constitute willful tres
pass, breach of contract, and
improper dumping, and a
substantial punitive damag
es award is required to deter
SK Battery’s persistent mis
conduct.”
The lawsuit was filed in
Jackson County Superior
Court since SK Battery is in
Jackson County.
ing the program.
•discussed the proposed
rezoning of 23 acres locat
ed along Highway 365 and
Belton Bridge Road. The
Hall County property is cur
rently zone Highway Busi
ness, but a request has been
made to change it to Heavy
Industrial.
There will be a public
hearing on Monday, August
21, but the request should be
tabled.
•reported that the Lula La
dies will meet on Wednes
day, August 23 for lunch at
noon and dinner at 6:30
•advised citizens that
the Historical Society
Lula Belton will meeting
on Monday, August 28 at
7 p.m. at the DEPOT. Ev
eryone is invited to attend.
•noted that the Lula Fall
Festival will be held on Sat
urday, September 30. Infor
mation is available “@lula-
fall festival.”
Lula Council votes to oust Bramlett
MAILING LABEL
GiUsville mayor to serve as zoning official
By SHERRY LEWIS
The Gillsville Council
approved the appointment
of Mayor Wade Dali as the
acting town zoning official.
Wade will take on the role
in his regular duties, and he
will not require any addi
tional salary.
The resolution states the
zoning official can delegate
certain duties of the zoning
official to appropriate staff
members.
In other business the
council:
•opened three bids for
cleaning of the part build
ing. After some review, the
council agreed to hire Ra
chel Canada to clean the
park building.
•reviewed the unpaid
business license.
•agreed to have City Clerk
Sandra Helton to move for
ward with the annexation
request by Kevin Merck for
his residential property on
Cromartie Road.
•approved a plat submit
ted by Mayor Dale, from
James R. Watkins regarding
the combining of cemetery
lots on his property on Hen
derson Road.
•announced that the clean
up dates for the town will be
September 23 at 8:00 a.m.
at the City Park building.
Lunch will be provided for
all volunteers.
•Mayor Dale reported that
the Downtown DOT project
is nearing completion. The
reflective signs will be in
stalled soon.
•reported that security
cameras for the downtown
area have been installed and
two additional cameras will
soon be added to the inside
if the Frankum Building.
•announced that The
Frankum Building renova
tion project is nearing com
pletion and lights will be
installed soon.
The Mayor and Council
look forward to having an
open house in conjunction
with the Pottery Festival
held on, Saturday, October
7th.
•Mayor Dale commended
Councilmember Ricky Sut
ton for compiling the plans
for the restrooms in Town
Hall and Frankum Building.
MEDIAN AT BANKS CROSSING
Construction
starts of median
at Banks Crossing
BY ANGELA GARY
Work has gotten under
way on the construction of
a median at Banks Crossing.
Last week, contractors
milled the center lane along
a mile-and-a-half stretch
of highway from Faulkner
Road to Dallas Drive.
he work was done in
preparation for the con
struction of a raised median.
State transportation of
ficials encourage drivers
to seek alternate routes to
avoid delays.
Before heading out, get
real-time information on
work status and traffic con
ditions by calling 511, visit
ing 51 lga.org, or download
ing the Georgia 511 app.
Citizens air concerns
on proposed BOE
millage rate
By ANGELA GARY
The Banks County Board of Education held the first of
three public hearings Thursday evening to receive input
on the proposed millage rate. Five citizens attended the
meeting with several questioning the proposed increase
and asking for tax breaks to be given to senior citizens.
The BOE’s proposal is to increase the property taxes it
will levy this year by 10.37 percent over the rollback mill-
age rate. In the past 25 years, the millage rate has been
increased above the rollback rate seven times.
As for the question from one citizen about breaks for
senior citizens, BOE members pointed out this would take
state legislative action and a vote by the citizens.
BOE members also questioned why the millage rate was
being approved before the budget. Superintendent Dr. Ann
Hopkins replied that the budget has been completed but
has not been approved yet. She said those budget figures
were used to prepare the proposed millage rate.
In 1999, an increase of 2.00 mills; in 2004, an increase
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 increase of .195 mills; and in 2021, an increase
of 1.016 mills. In 2019, 2020
“In 2019, 2020 and 2021, we were merely maintaining
our millage rate at the prior year amount of 14.511 mills,”
superintendent Dr. 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 County Board of Education proposes
to maintain the millage 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,” Hopkins said.
When the total digest of taxable property is prepared,
Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be
computed that will produce the same total revenue on the
current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would
have produced had no reassessments occurred.
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 re
quires three public hearings to be held to allow the public
an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase.”
The next two hearings will be held on Thursday, August
10, at 6:30 p.m. and on Thursday, August 17 at 11 a.m. and
6:30 p.m.
BOE ACTION
After the public hearing, a meeting was held by the BOE
to review other agenda items, including the purchase of
two buses and approval of the “I Write” program instruc
tional materials for teachers.