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o o $1.00 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2023 Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements Vol. 57 No. 37 Homer Labor Day Festival Banks leaders continue to push to leave Piedmont Judicial Circuit set this weekend The Homer Labor Day Festival is coming up this weekend at the downtown park in Homer. The festival will kick off at 6 p.m. with a communi ty pep rally celebrating all Banks County sports. The parade will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The town is still taking entries for the parade. Email Tking@townofhomer.com. On Saturday, “Dunk a Deputy” will be held from noon to 3 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Banks County Shop with a Hero program. On Saturday at 6 p.m., the University of Georgia game will be broadcast on the big LED screen. Dance music will follow. On Sunday, a church ser vice led by the Grove will be held. Music will be followed at 2 p.m. with the gospel group, Georgia. Throughout the weekend, there will be craft vendors, food vendors and activities for kids. Canning class offered by county extension office The Banks County Exten sion Office will host its final canning class of the season on September 8 at the Banks County Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will leam the principles of canning safely at home. They will also get hands- on practice with both boil ing water canning and pres sure canning. Each participant will pre pare and take home a jar of apple butter and a jar of cubed pumpkin. A $20 registration fee covers all supplies and ma terials. Pre-registration is re quired. Call the Banks County Extension Office at 706- 677-6230 or email susie. burton@uga.edu by Sep tember 1 to secure your spot. MAILING LABEL State legislators meeting in Homer hear support for plan By ANGELA GARY Banks County leaders have not backed down in their push to move out of the Piedmont Judicial Cir cuit and into the Moun tain Judicial Circuit. The board of commissioners has sought legislation to make the change, passed a resolu tion in support of the action and even cut county funds allocated for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. A second state committee hearing was held Thursday on a proposed legislative bill to take Banks out of the three-county Piedmont circuit. The earlier legisla tive meeting was in Atlanta, but on Thursday committee members, who come from across the state, traveled to Homer to hold the hearing at the Banks County Court house. Banks County leaders say this is the first time such a hearing has been held in the county. State leaders also said it is rare for legislative committee hearings to be held outside of Atlanta. Ten people spoke in sup port of the plan, including Rep. Chris Erwin, Sen. Bo Hatchett, Banks Coun ty Board of Commission chairman Charles Turk and Sheriff Carlton Speed. Gina Roy, assistant county man ager for Jackson County, and Pat Graham, chair man of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners also offered their support to Banks County leaders in making the change. No one spoke in opposi tion to the change. At the earlier legislative com mittee meeting in Atlanta, Piedmont Judicial Circuit judges Joe Booth and Cur rie Mingledorff spoke in opposition to Banks mov ing out of the circuit. They did not speak at the hearing in Banks County, however Judge Mingledorff and dis trict attorney Brad Smith were present in the audi ence. The hearing began with committee chairman Stan Gunter stating, “It is rare to come out of the committee room. We want to hear why we should make a change or why we should leave it alone. What we hear will influence what happens in January.” At the conclusion of the hearing, no action was taken or any indication given on if the legislative committee will move for the proposed bill to proceed. Rep. Erwin was the first to speak and he said, “Banks fits in better in the Mountain Circuit. It is more like our systems. We are looking at where we fit best as a slow-growing county.” He said it “is nothing per sonal” but that Banks Coun ty citizens feel their “voice is not heard.” “There has never been a Banks County citizen elect ed as the district attorney or judge,” he said. “The peo ple feel like their voice isn’t heard. Banks County is a better, natural fit, geograph ically and culturally, to the Mountain circuit.” Sen. Bo Hatchett said he has talked to judges in the Mountain circuit and they are willing to take on Banks County’s court caseload. State leaders said if the action is taken it would be “precedent-setting” because there has never been action to take a county out of one Banks County Board of Commission chairman Charles Turk speaks on the reasons to move out of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. Rep. Chris Erwin is also shown. State legislative committee members are shown at a hearing held at the Banks County Court house. circuit and put it into anoth er one. Among the comments made by BOC chairman Turk was to compare the population to the counties in both circuits. He pointed out that Banks is more sim ilar to Habersham, Rabun and Stephens counties. He also spoke on Banks not having a “voice” in the Piedmont circuit. “We can’t swing an elec tion one way or another so they don’t care about us,” he said. “...I don’t think they care if we are here or not.” Sheriff Speed said, ‘This has been going on for a long time. Citizens of Banks County feel like their voices aren’t being heard.” Banks clerk of court Tim Harper also spoke in sup port of the action, although he said, “I’m not mad at anybody. I have a friend ship with my judges and district attorney... We feel we would fit in better with these people (Mountain cir cuit) than staying in grow ing Jackson and Barrow counties.” Barrow County Board of Commission chairman Graham, stated, “I support Banks County moving to the mountains. Barrow has no concerns with the budget change due to Banks Coun ty leaving.” Jackson County assistant county manager Roy stated, “Jackson County does not have a problem, cost-wise, with Banks County leav ing.” Habersham County BOC chairman Ty Akins also spoke in support of the pro posed change. Leaders say recent growth due to land prices in area BY ANGELA GARY There has recently been a surge in development in Banks County along Hwy. 441 between the Grove Riv er and Habersham County line. A medical center, veteri nary office, retail store and automotive business have opened along the route. “I feel like the growth in that area is due to the price of land south of the Grove bridge,” stated Charles Turk, chairman of the Banks County Board of Commis sioners. “Land at 1-85 and Hwy. 441 is about a million to million and a half per acre.” While there aren’t any new commmercial plans in the works currently along the route, Turk said he be lieves this area will continue to grow in the future. “I feel as if smaller busi ness owners will continue to hunt out the lower priced property north of 1-85 as long as it is compatible with the area,” he said. As for the businesses al ready open or being built, they are: •a Medlink (primary care physician, imaging center). •Banks County Vet Clinic •Chelsea’s Classic Cars •Dollar General (behind Mama Dot’s) Photo by Angela Gary A new Medlink office is going in along a route in Banks County that has seen several new business developments moving in. CHANGES AT BCSO Carissa McFadden (center) has been named the chief deputy at the Banks County Sheriff’s Office. Shawn Wilson (right) is retiring after serving in law enforcement for more than 30 years. The two are shown discussing the changes with Sheriff Carlton Speed. See Page 3 for story and more photos. After school program offered at high school Banks County High School is offering an after-school program to help students stay on track and graduate. The program is offered from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mon days through Thursdays in Room 313 (Goodwin’s). Snacks are provided. Transportation is provided at the following drop off points at Maysville Gazebo at the railroad tracks, 5:15 p.m.; Howard Johnson’s, 5:30 p.m.; Dollar Gen eral Store, 5:45 p.m.; and Alto Congregational Holiness Church, 6 p.m. Registration forms are in the front office, ninth grade office or Mr. Goodwin’s room (313). All forms must be returned to the front office or room 313 before attending the after school program. Call 706-983-1128 or email dgoodwin@banks.kl2. ga.us for more information.