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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 22, 2009 — PAGE 3A
Taxes .cont’dfrom 1A
foreclosures and people struggling to make ends meet, it is hard to
believe that homeowners won’t get the benefit from this credit that was
approved through the legislative process last year,” said Jerry Griffin,
Executive Director of Association County Commissioners of Georgia,
in a press release about the proposed cut.
Watson said she believes the state shouldn’t try to apply the Homestead
reduction to 2008 bills, since homeowners weren’t afforded any prior
notification of the reduction.
"I don’t believe it's fair to the taxpayers to apply it (the cut) to 2008,"
said Watson.
She said she feels that if the cut must be made, it should be applied
to 2009 bills. That way, homeowners with escrow accounts will be able
to contact their mortgage companies and make necessary monthly pay
ment adjustments to cover the increased cost.
MLK ..cont’dfrom 1A
“He had to overcome that barrier ... But it’s not about black or
white, it’s about purpose and that I know where I’m going," she
said.
The event drew a standing-room-only crowd, which included sev
eral county leaders. Among those in attendance were new county
commission chairman Anthony Dove and new probate judge Cody
Cross.
Wright challenged all those in attendance to better their commu
nity, underscoring her central theme of the day — courage.
“Yes, we can," she said, echoing a well-known Obama refrain.
“We can wake up Madison County and it will be a county like no
county we've ever seen before ... But it’s going to take some people
that have got to have some courage."
Sunrise .cont’dfrom 1A
commissioners will once again consider the matter at their 6:30 p.m.,
Monday meeting in the county government complex. The board has
denied identical plans twice in the past 13 months.
The Madison County Planning Commission listened to the familiar
debates for and against the proposal Tuesday. And when all the talk
ing was over, the commission voted without any discussion to give the
thumbs up to the development.
The zoning board voted 6-1 — with Tod Hebenton providing the
lone “no" vote — to recommend that the BOC approve a request by
John Byram to rezone 135.30 acres from A-2 to R-3 for a Planned
Unit Development (PUD).
The rezoning would open the door for 158 single-family houses and
60 townhouses. The development would be an age-restricted commu
nity, with no residents under the age of 55. Byram also plans to trans
form the golf course into an “executive” format, with a predominately
par three setup, though a few par fours would be included. Sunrise
Golf Course would remain open to the public.
Byram has said that Sunrise is failing financially and that his pro
posed development is the only way to keep the course open.
The owner of the county’s lone course didn’t speak Tuesday night,
but his representative, Jon Williams of Williams and Associates in
Athens, said the development will not put much strain on county
services and that it will provide a “positive economic impact to the
community.”
“This is something new for the community that is not the status quo
and doesn’t promote sprawl,” said Williams.
Williams noted that county planners recommended approval of the
development last year.
“Mr. Byram is going to have to shut the golf course down without
this," said Williams. “That will be the loss of a recreation facility and
a loss of jobs."
Opponents of the plan voiced concerns about traffic safety on the
heavily traveled Colbert-Danielsville Road, about water supplies in
the area, about the proposed septic system for the development, about
the strain on fire and EMS services, about the proposed tight cluster
ing of homes. They noted that the development would be roughly the
equivalent of approving a new city in Madison County, comparable
in size to Colbert.
Madison County commissioners have heard the arguments on more
than one occasion. The board voted unanimously against the proposal
in December 2007, then shot down the plans again last February, 3-2.
John Pethel, Wesley Jordan and Bruce Scogin voted against the plan
last February, while Stanley Thomas and Mike Youngblood voted for
it. Of those commissioners now remaining on the board, two voted for
the plan last February, while two voted against it. New commissioner
Dewitt “Pete" Bond II has since replaced Jordan, who voted against
the Sunrise proposal last year.
“They got a new board so they’re just going to chance it again,” said
Charles Hart, who spoke against the development.
Shelter ..cont’dfrom 1A
“Goldie” — something of a
mascot-ambassador for MOAS
— along with her.
“I believe if we start with our
children, in terms of education,
that’s the way to go,” she said.
If there’s one word she wants
to spread to the public, it’s that
a spay and neuter clinic is avail
able right under shelter’s roof
and needs to be utilized.
The more dogs and cats
spayed and neutered, the less
litters of puppies and kittens
dropped off at MOAS.
Fornash also wants to dispel
the myth that there’s a “three-
day rule" at the shelter, meaning
that an animal is euthanized
after three days if not adopted.
Not, true, Fornash said. Some
dogs and cats have been at the
shelter for months.
“People always think, oh,
they kill dogs,” she said. “But,
you know, it’s absolutely a last
resort when it happens."
MOAS PACKED
Right now, there’s an entire
shelter full of prospective pets
— approximately 165 dogs and
80 cats — in need of homes.
Pets like, “Sunshine," a
4-year-old boxer mix who's
been at the shelter for about a
week after being hit by a car
(she sustained minor injuries).
Sunshine, this week's MOAS
Pet of the Week, joined Fornash
in her office Monday as she
worked.
“Somehow she just kind of
touched me,” Fornash said.
SHELTER DOG LANDS
ON ATLANTA NEWS
Fornash and the rest of the
shelter staff enjoyed a success
story last week when they saw
a pit bull, who had originally
been turned in to MOAS, on
Channel 2 News.
The dog, named “Damon" by
shelter workers during his stay,
came to MOAS scarred from
head to toe with a particularly
bad neck wound.
The shelter suspected that
Damon was a victim of dog
fighting as a “bait dog."
A rescue group took Damon
to a vet in Atlanta, where he
wound up as part of a Channel 2
News segment about dog fight
ing.
Because of the story, $2,000
has been raised for Damon's
veterinary bills. He is also head
ed to pit bull rehab.
“He’s gone to have a good
life, which makes me very
happy,” Fornash said. "Because
he was a sweet dog.”
Search for new Madison County
Chief Appraiser continues
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County still doesn't
have a chief appraiser, but tire
county board of assessors offi
cially approved Stacey Rubio as
interim head of the appraisal staff
Monday.
"We need to have a meeting
to decide how the board wants
to go forth (on hiring a chief
appraiser)," said new BOA chair
man David Ragland, who added
that tire assessor board received
an application for the position
Monday.
The board voted 3-1 Monday
to name Rubio to tire temporary
post, with Larry Stewart provid
ing the lone "no" vote. The asses
sor board also agreed to ask tire
county commissioners to con
sider an adequate compensation
for the interim chief during her
time of increased duties.
The hunt for a new assessor
follows recent turmoil at tire
board of assessors' table.
The BOA recently decided not
to renew tire contract of chief
appraiser James Flynt. Earlier
this month, Stewart recommend
ed that fomrer Twiggs County
Appraiser Carey Lamb replace
Flynt, but the assessor board
denied the request by a 3-2 vote,
with Stewart and Bob Fowler
voting for Lamb.
Stewart and Fowler have now
resigned from the board, though
Stewart is serving on the BOA
until tire end of tire month.
Stewart and tire remaining three
assessor members — Ragland,
Samantha Garland and Jim
Escoe — met in the county com
mission meeting room Monday
evening, with the meeting room
table pushed close to the audi
ence seats. A one-step platform is
being constructed in the meeting
room to provide better viewing
for tire audience.
The mood in the chilly room
was coolly cordial.
While routine matters took up
most of the meeting, tire group
also discussed a proposal by
Escoe to alter board policy on
handling additions to conserva
tion use properties.
“We set a policy that if some
one had a conservation parcel,
and they needed to add adjacent
land to it, they could survey it in
and we could breach them with
out penalty if they would reapply
for tire whole thing,” said Escoe.
The assessor board member
said that, in retrospect, allowing
such a breach without penalty
on conservation use is probably
not a good policy. He suggested
that the BOA alter its policy to be
more in line with Department of
Revenue standards.
Stewart said he appreciated
Escoe’s “attempt to correct tire
policy," but added that he advised
the board when it set the policy
last March that it was an “illegal
policy.”
"Tire board was advised by
myself at that time; this informa
tion was provided to the board,
but the board chose to ignore
it,” said Stewart, adding that
the board waived two penalties,
including one of $87,000 based
on a flawed and "illegal” policy
. .The board cannot say that it
did not know at tire time that this
was superceding state law."
The BOA voted Monday to
follow DOR policy on adding to
conservation parcels.
"This is a process, ladies and
gentlemen, when we find the
board to be in error, we correct
it,” said Ragland.
Stewart abstained from voting
on the policy.
"I can’t vote to rescind some
thing that was illegal to start
with," said Stewart.
Escoe and Garland both object
ed to Stewart’s statement.
“Let the record show that Mr.
Stewart used the descriptive ‘ille
gal,’” said Ragland. “Allow the
record to show that Mr. Escoe
objects to the same.”
OTHER MATTERS
In other business, tire board
spoke at length about appraisal
staff policies, such as appropriate
protocol on handling taxpayer
appeals to SuperiorCourt. County
attorney Mike Pruett advised
the group that he should be for
warded all appeals instead of the
assessor staff filing legal action
with tire Clerk of Superior Court.
The group discussed appropriate
requirements on handling home
stead exemption applications, a
duty recently passed from the
tax commissioner's office to
the appraisal staff. The assessor
board agreed to require either a
driver's license or birth certificate
along with two pieces of mail to
verify that an applicant for the
exemption actually does live in
the residence with tire proposed
exemption. The board discussed
tire possibility of using BOC
equipment to record assessor
meetings. They took no action on
the matter, agreeing to study the
cost of having someone on hand
to operate the equipment.
Madison Co. schools to utilize
email, text messaging network
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A new notification system will
provide parents up-to-the-minute
information regarding school
events.
Madison County Schools, start
ing Feb. 2, will be a pilot system
for this program, which uses emails
and text messages.
"It really has an unlimited poten
tial," Madison County Schools
superintendent Mitch McGhee
said.
The technology will provide
updates for anything from emer
gency school closings to a team
bus delay.
Of course, the program won’t be
fully utilized when it comes online.
It will take time for administrators,
teachers, coaches and parents to get
into the habit of using the system,
McGhee said.
But once the system is established,
it will offer plenty of options.
"For example, we can send out
football scores — to everyone that
signs up — at the end of each
quarter,” McGhee said. "If you have
a booster club member that’s in
charge of that you can send out run
ning scores of a football game or a
basketball game.”
The board of education, princi
pals and administrative staff will be
administered a tutorial over usage
of the system.
School leaders
open to suggestions
For those with ideas to improve
schools, the central office will now
consider those thoughts via sug
gestion forms.
“This is one thing that we want
to be clear on, just because some
one turns in this form, that does
not guarantee that we’re going
to add that (suggestion) or delete
that," McGhee said. "However,
we do want as much input as we
can get."
The forms can be submitted
anonymously if desired.
McGhee said he’s not a fan of
anonymous submissions but will
allow them since these sugges
tions aren’t for publication.
The intent is to generate ideas.
“If we get 100, and 10 of them
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give us a good idea, then it was
worth it," McGhee said.
Increase in max class
size means savings
The maximum class size in the
state being raised by two students
will translate into savings for
Madison County Schools.
McGhee estimated this will keep
four to five teachers from having
to be hired.
“Roughly speaking, about
$50,000 apiece, that’s some real
money for us," McGhee said. “For
the bigger systems, it’s millions
of dollars, but it’s still significant
to us.
SPLOST collections
sag compared to last year
Madison County collected
$15,000 less in SPLOST funds
last month that it did this time last
year.
"Which isn’t surprising with the
economy,” assistant superintendent
Bonnie Knight said.
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