Newspaper Page Text
The
www.MadisonJournalTODAY.com
OCTOBER 1, 2009
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
Vol. 24 No. 40 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
EVENTS
COUNTY GOV’T
Fair runs
through
Saturday
It finally feels like fall
— time for good boiled
peanuts, time for the ferris
wheel.
Madison County’s annu
al agricultural fair opened
Tuesday and continues
through Saturday at the
Comer Fairgrounds off
Hwy. 22.
The annual event provides
local citizens with a chance
to view what Madison
County's agricultural com
munity has to offer, with
cattle, pig and goat shows.
There is also nightly musi
cal entertainment, nightly
drawings for prizes. And,
of course, there's a wide
range of rides, from the kid
die variety to the lose-your-
lunch, high-speed spinners.
Unlimited rides cost $15
on Thursday and $18 on
Friday and Saturday. Gates
open at 6 p.m. nightly, with
a Saturday matinee from
noon to 4 p.m.
Here is the schedule for
the remainder of the week:
•Thursday, Oct. 1, Bobby
Compton Band, 7 p.m.; Jr.
4-H and FFA beef cattle
show, 7 p.m.
•Friday, Oct. 2, Soul
Connection, 7 p.m.; goat
show, 6 p.m.; local kids cat
tle show, 7 p.m.
•Saturday, Oct. 3, The
New Dixie Storm, 7 p.m.;
open cattle show, noon.
SERVICE
BOG to honor
Rotary for
ramp building
Madison County’s Rotary
Club is a ramp-building
force.
And county leaders would
like for the public to take
note when the Rotary cel
ebrates its 400 th ramp in
October.
The Madison County
commissioners will pass a
proclamation Monday, hon
oring the Rotary for its com
mitment to building ramps
for local citizens with physi-
— See “Rotary” on 2A‘
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3A 7A
Opinions — 4-5A
Crime — 6A
Socials — 8A 11B
Schools — 11-12B
Churches — 9A
Obituaries — 4B
Classifieds — 10-12A
Sports— 1-3B
Legate— 5-10B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAY.
com
The budget outlook?
No tax rate increase, no job losses, but some holiday pay may get cut
INSIDE: Digest down slightly
in 2009, Page 3A
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
N o tax rate increase is expected
from Madison County commis
sioners. No job losses are antici
pated either. But some holiday pay for county
employees may get cut in order to balance
the 2010 county budget.
After months of hacking away at the bud-
Public hearing:
The Madison County Board of
Commissioners will hold a public
hearing at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 15, in the
county government complex to set
its tax rates. No tax rate increase is
expected.
get, Madison County commissioners seemed
somewhat optimistic last week as they neared
the final stages of the exhaustive numbers
balancing act.
“This is where the rubber meets the road,”
said BOC chairman Anthony Dove. “We've
got to make some decisions.”
Projected expenses still exceed anticipated
revenues by roughly $420,000 to $521,000
in 2010 — depending on whether coun-
— See “Budget” on 2A‘
Sheriff, BOC still seeking
resolution on salary deficit
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
While the county com
missioners are coping with
a budget nightmare in 2009,
an apparent 2008 mistake
remains a source of major
headaches, too.
County commission
ers have found no clear
answers on why the sher
iffs department is more
than $200,000 over budget
for salaries in 2009. They
say the mistake appears
to have been made when
pay increases approved for
sheriff's department and jail
staff in February 2008 were
not factored in to the 2009
budget.
Now, the BOC and the
sheriff face an unpleasant
task — finding the funds to
cover the salary deficit.
Sheriff Kip Thomas has
asked for $232,000 budget
— See “Deficit” on 2A‘
Croyas Crowned at Homecoming
Sisters Jessica Croya (left) and Breana Croya (right) were named Madison
County High School homecoming queen and princess, respectively, during half
time of the Raiders’ 21-16 victory over Salem. It was announced that this is the
first time in the history of the school that sisters have won these honors in the
same year. Ben Munro/staff
EDUCATION
No proposed change
in school millage rates
Madison Co. Board of Education votes Oct. 15
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Despite a well-document
ed school funding shortage,
Madison County Schools
Superintendent Mitch
McGhee will recommend
millage rates stay the same
for the 2010 budget year.
The Madison County
Board of Education will
vote on McGhee's recom
mendation Oct. 15 at 7:30
p.m. at the Professional
Learning Center.
According to assistant
superintendent Bonnie
Knight, McGhee will pro
pose the maintenance and
operation rate stay at 16.99
mills and the rate to pay
off a nearly 20-year-old
Danielsville Elementary
School bond remain at
.826.
The county tax digest
dropped about two percent
this year, and the system
incurred a number of state
funding cuts, but school
leaders were intent on
keeping the 16.99 mainte
nance and operation rate
for the fourth consecutive
year.
“We anticipated doing
that during the budget pro
cess,” Knight said.
The 16.99 rate will gener
ate $11.41 million in local
tax revenue, down from
$11.53 million last year.
Because of all the state
cuts that came after the
budgeting process, the
school system will col
lect less revenue than the
school board approved as
part of the budget back in
June.
“And we’re watching
that,” Knight said. “We’ve
talked about different things
that we may have to do as
we get closer to the end of
the year if things continue
to decline.”
Meanwhile, the school
system will again levy .826
of a mill to make its annual
payment on Danielsville
Elementary School. Voters
approved a 20-year bond to
— See“BOE”on2A‘
PROPOSED NOISE ORDINANCE
Will Rockfest, other outdoor
music be put on mute?
ANTMAU SHELTER
‘Ann’s Day’ to
help cat owners
BOC to discuss issue Mon.;
see Page 3A for full agenda
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
For those about to rock, we will mute
you.
Well, all silly AC/DC references aside,
rock and roll — and other amplified music
— in Madison County faces a challenge
from the county commissioners’ table.
A noise ordinance under consideration
by county commissioners could put the
mute button on events such as “Rockfest,”
which was held earlier this year at the
memorial park next to the county govern
ment complex.
District 4 commissioner Pete Bond, who
lives near the government complex, made
a motion Monday for an amendment that
would add real teeth to the county noise
ordinance.
But the board took no action, agreeing
— See “Noise” on 2A‘
Shelter offering 67% off neutering
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
“Fluffy” might not take
this as good news, but the
local animal shelter hopes a
semi-anonymous donation
will lead to more cats being
neutered.
The Madison Oglethorpe
Animal Shelter (MOAS)
will offer the procedure at
a dirt-cheap rate Oct. 7 to
economically disadvan
taged pet owners, thanks to
a $2,500 contribution from
a person who wished to be
identified only by her first
name, Ann.
“That’s why we’re just
calling this Ann's Day,”
MOAS director Susan
Fomash said.
With the money, the shel
ter is offering $10 neutering
to those who sign up and
meet certain financial cri
teria. There’s an additional
$10 fee for vaccines.
— See “Shelter” on 3A‘
