Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 17. 2009
Digest
continued from 1A
years have been farther
behind, with property owners
receiving them after the new
year.
Baker said he feels the
county can stay on schedule
now.
“Next year, we should be on
track where we’re supposed to
be,” he said.
In a related matter, Madison
County’s new three-mem
ber assessor board held its
first monthly meeting last
Thursday, an hour-long gath
ering in front of two people,
both reporters, that included
brief discussions of assess
ment issues.
The assessor board table has
been the center of political
controversy for much of 2009,
with four members fired by
the county commissioners, a
decision later backed up by
a judge.
The BOC then agreed to
reduce the assessor board from
five to three people. The new
members are Ralph McCay,
Janis Ellis and Lynn Hix.
McCay, who now serves as
BOA chairman, led most of
the discussions Thursday. The
group met briefly in closed
session with county attor
ney Mike Pruett to discuss
“pending litigation” related
to property owners’ appeals
of assessments. The BOA
reviewed conservation appli
cations and agreed to approve
all but two recommendations
made by the appraisal staff.
The staff divided applications
into separate lists of recom
mended approvals and deni
als.
The board agreed to for
ward 21-day appeals to the
board of equalization (BOE).
County property owners have
45 days to appeal their val
ues after assessment notices
are mailed. Those appeals
are reviewed and if there are
any changes, another notice
is mailed to property own
ers, who then have 21 days
to appeal those changes. The
board agreed Thursday to
send those notices on to the
BOE, which will review the
values.
The group agreed to replace
a previous set of BOA poli
cies with a new version. One
policy change includes a
reduction from two meetings
to one meeting a month. The
BOA now meets the second
Thursday of the month at
5:30 p.m. in the county gov
ernment complex.
Assessor board members
are required to attend 40
hours of training. Ellis and
Hix plan to attend training in
October, while McCay will
attend training in January.
Baker will attend classes in
November to bring his train
ing status up to date.
BOA members spent some
time speaking about meeting
protocol. Ellis asked that BOA
members have an opportunity
to review documents prior to
meetings so that the board
can be more familiar with
what’s on the agenda.
“That way we can look at it
and process it a little better,”
she said.
Baker said the staff can
email the board members
with documents prior to the
meetings to help them under
stand the issues at hand.
Budget... continued from 1A
“We’ve kind of been look
ing at 93 percent in terms
of what tax collections will
be,” said Dove.
A collection rate of 93
percent, as opposed to 90
percent, would mean rough
ly $230,000 more in antici
pated tax revenue, accord
ing to figures provided
by finance director Kathy
Clark. But Clark added that
it’s really too early to set
specific numbers.
“We will possibly have
the new consolidation report
and other reports this week
and will be able to estimate
projections on more current
information,” wrote Clark
in response to emailed
budget questions from The
Journal.
With projected expenses
at approximately $13.8 mil
lion and revenues at $13
million to $13.2 million, the
board could face the pros
pect of shaving several hun
dred thousand more dollars
in expenses, or raising taxes
to cover a revenue shortfall.
Dove said he is committed
to not raising the county’s
tax rates. He has noted that
homeowners are already
going to feel the pinch of
over $200 added to their
bills since the state elimi
nated the Homeowners’ Tax
Relief Grant.
“If I had to speculate I’d
say a majority of the com
missioners are (committed
to not raising taxes) too, if
not all of them,” said Dove.
County commissioners
were scheduled to discuss
the 2010 budget Wednesday
with Madison County
Mental Health (Advantage
Behavioral) and the district
attorney. They were also set
to receive additional budget
information from the code
enforcement/animal control
director.
Facebook... continued from 1A
on it,” Stone said.
Included on the site are
daily announcements and
results from sporting events.
Those who are part of the
MCHS network on Facebook
can add comments to each
post.
As of Tuesday afternoon,
the MCHS page had 507
“fans.”
“It’s something new, but
the more we can get out of
what we’re trying to do, the
better we feel like it’s going
to help us at the high school,”
Stone said.
PERSONNEL
APPROVED
The Madison County
Board of Education approved
several personnel items at
its monthly meeting last
Tuesday. They include:
•Comer Elementary —
accepted the resignation of
food services worker April
Watkins, hired Kimberly
Pendergrass and Angela
Gantt as an after-school
workers, hired Elizabeth
Adams and Lisa Smith as
school nutrition assistants
and reduced teacher Leslie
Hardman’s weekly hours
from 40 to 32.
•Hull-Sanford Elementary
— accepted the resignation
of paraprofessional Lisa
Crumley and hired Rita
Brannon as a paraprofes
sional.
•Ila Elementary School —
increased time for Allison
Daniels (teacher), Cindy
South (paraprofessional)
and Suzan Haley (parapro
fessional) from a half-time
to full-time, approved leave
for Barry Bailey and hired
Megan McCay as a long
term substitute.
•Madison County Middle
School — approved extend
ed day hours for Janet
Duckworth.
•Madison County High
School — accepted the res
ignation of custodian J.W.
James, increased custodian
Ron Little’s hours from half
time to full-time and hired
Edna Curruth as a custodian.
•System — approved leave
without pay for bus driver Jill
Stoops.
Public meetings held in the county
Public meetings held in
Madison County include:
•Madison Cou nty Board
of Commissioners - an
agenda-setting meeting is
held on the final Monday
of the month at 6:30 p.m.
in the government com
plex on Albany Avenue in
Danielsville. A business
meeting is then held on the
first Monday of the month
at 6:30 p.m. at the same
locale.
•Madison County
Planning and Zoning
Commission - the first
and third Tuesdays of the
month at 6:30 p.m. in the
government complex.
•Madison County
Board of Education -
the second Tuesday of
the month at 7 p.m. in the
library at Madison County
High School.
•Madison Cou nty Board
of Tax Assessors - meets
the second Thursday of
every month at 5:30 p.m.
in the conference room
of the Madison County
government complex in
Danielsville. The public is
invited to attend all meet
ings of the board of asses
sors.
•The Madison County
Industrial Development
and Building Authority -
the third Monday of the
month at 6 p.m. in the pub
lic meeting room of the old
county courthouse in the
center of Danielsville.
•MadisonCountyPublic
Safety Communications/
E-911 advisory board -
the Thursday prior to the
second Monday of each
month. Meetings are held
at 11:30 a.m. at the 911
center.
•The Madison County
Recreation Department
Board - the fourth Tuesday
of every month at 6:30
p.m. in the meeting room
at Sammy Haggard Park
on Hwy. 98.
•Danielsville City
Council - holds monthly
work sessions the Monday
prior to regularly scheduled
council meetings, begin
ning at 7 p.m. Council
meetings are held the first
Monday of each month,
beginning at 7 p.m.
•Colbert City Council -
the first Monday at 7 p.m.
in Colbert City Hall.
•Carlton City Council -
the first Monday at 7 p.m.
in Carlton City Hall.
•Comer City Council
- the first Monday follow
ing the first Sunday of the
month at 6 p.m. in Comer
City Hall.
•Comer Downtown
Development Authority
- meets the second
Thursday of each month
at 6 p.m. in the Comer City
Hall.
•Ila City Council - the
first Monday at 7 p.m. in
Ila City Hall.
•Hull City Council - the
third Monday at 7 p.m. in
Hull City Hall.
•The Madison County
High School Council - the
second Monday of every
month at 5 p.m. in the high
school media center.
•The Madison County
Middle School Council -
the second Thursday of
the month at 4 p.m. in the
school media center.
•The Colbert
Elementary School
Council - the second
Thursday of each month
at 2:30 p.m. in the school’s
media center.
•The Comer Elementary
School Council - the third
Thursday of each month
at 7:30 a.m. in the school
media center.
•The Danielsville
Elementary School
Council - the first Thursday
of the month at 7:30 a.m. in
the school media center.
•The Hull-Sanford
Elementary School
Council - the third Tuesday
of the month at 3:15 p.m. in
the school media center.
•The Ila Elementary
School Council - the
fourth Wednesday of the
month at 3 p.m. in the Ila
Elementary School media
center.
•The Democratic Party
of Madison County
- meets regularly to talk
with elected officials about
local, state and national
concerns. For more infor
mation, call 245-6875 or
e-mail democratsofmadi-
soncountyga@yahoo.com
•The Broad River
Watershed Association
- meets at 7 p.m. on the
second Wednesday of
each month at the BRWA
office on the square in
Danielsville. Call Victor
Johnson 706-795-2184 for
more information.
•Property Owners for
Common Sense Growth
(POCSG) - meets the last
Tuesday of every month
at 7 p.m. at the Madison
County Library.
•Citizens Organized
for Pipeline Safety in
Madison County (COPS
MC) - meets the second
Thursday of every month
at 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert
Grove Baptist Church. For
more information, call Jill
McElheney 706-742-7826.
D’ville ...
damages to equipment and furniture.
The council also asked the police department
to step up patrols of the Northridge Drive area
because residents have complained that it is
being used a cut-through road between Hwy.
98 and Crawford W. Long $treet. In a related
matter, the council plans to discuss reports
continued from 1A
of skateboarding on private property at its
October meeting.
The council voted to replace two fire
hydrants, one at the transfer station on Colbert-
Danielsville Road and the other at the county
extension office/multi-purpose building on
$unset Drive.
Library
continued from 1A
for just 50 cents, while hard
backs are $1. There is also
a collection of VH$ tapes
available for $1 each.
“We have every kind of
book,” said Debbie Lester,
who helped organize books
on the six long tables in the
library’s public meeting
room Monday. ”... We have
everything from Wayne Dyer
to Ann Rice to the Bible.”
A preview sale for Friends
members only will be
Thursday, $ept. 17, from 5
to 8 p.m. The fee to become
a Friends member is $10 and
those interested can show up
at the preview sale, pay the
membership fee and get first
dibs on the books.
“The proceeds for the
sale go toward education
programs for the library
and increasing the purchas
ing power of the library to
bring in new books,” said
Ann Davis, secretary for the
Friends of the Library.
Davis said the library has
received generous dona
tions for the sale this year.
$he noted that at some point
toward the end of the sale,
the library will allow people
to pay $5 and stuff a bag full
of as many books as they
can fit.
For more information
about the book sale or other
library events, call the library
at 706-795-5597.
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