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PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 1.2009
Noise ... cont’d from 1A
Budget
cont’d from 1A
instead to give the public an opportunity to learn about the
proposed change.
Under the proposal, it will be unlawful for any person to
have an amplified device that can be heard at “a distance
of 300 feet or more beyond the boundaries of the property
owned by or under the control of such person.”
Bond did not speak on the matter Monday, but commis
sioner Stanley Thomas said the proposed regulation is too
restrictive.
“Wouldn’t this noise ordinance not allow them to have
a rock concert?” asked Thomas of county attorney Mike
Pruett, who said that the change would prohibit such
events.
Thomas said he feels a person who is being a regular
nuisance, blaring music and disrupting his neighbor’s sleep
is one thing. He said he supports restricting such activity.
However, he noted that plenty of local fund-raisers include
live music, adding that he would hate for the ordinance to be
used to restrict people’s fun activities.
“As much as I want to help out in that instance (of people
being a nuisance with noisemaking), I don’t want to restrict
people’s lives,” said Thomas. “I think that (the proposed
restriction) infringes on people’s lives somewhat.”
Bond said that the law could be applied with “common
horse sense.”
Proposed noise restriction:
Amplified Sound: It is unlawful for any person to
play, use, operate, or permit to be played, used or
operated any radio receiving device television, stereo,
musical instrument, phonograph sound amplifier or
other machines or devices for producing, reproducing
or amplifying of sound and/or noise at such a volume
and in such a manner so as to create, or cause to be
created, any noises or sounds which are plainly audible
at a distance of 300 feet or more beyond the boundaries
of the property owned by or under the control of such
person.
Proposed noise exceptions:
The prohibitions of this ordinance shall not apply to
the following:
•Noises and/or sounds caused to be made by manu
facturing, agricultural, governmental, or commercial
entities in the normal course of their business;
•Noises and/or sound emanating from any official
Madison County School District event on Madison
County School District property or any official Madison
County Recreation Department event on Madison
County property;
•Construction, maintenance, repairs or improvements
of bridges, streets or highways by or on behalf of the
county, the state of the federal government;
•Reasonable activities conducted on public play
grounds and public or private school grounds, which are
conducted in accordance with the manner in which such
spaces are generally used, including but not limited to
school athletic and school entertainment events;
•Sound volumes produced by radio, tape player, or
other mechanical sound making device or instrument
from within a motor vehicle on a street or highway, which
sound is controlled by the O.C.G.A. § 40-6-14; or
•Noises or sounds made by law enforcement and other
public safety officials performing their public functions.
Rotary... cont’d from 1A
cal problems, who have a hard time getting in an out of their
homes.
BOC commission chairman Anthony Dove said the Rotary
builds sturdy ramps with amazing speed.
Commissioner Bruce Scogin agreed.
“I appreciate all the hard work you (the Rotary) do. It (build
ing ramps for those in need) is an outstanding thing for people
to do.”
Scogin got a laugh Monday when he quipped: “I hope these
guys are still around when Jimmy Porterfield (seated in the front
row) and I get old.”
BOE.. • cont’d from 1A
build the school back in 1992. The payment is over $500,000
a year.
School leaders saved taxpayers that expense in 2007 and 2008
by using funds leftover from the 2003 SPLOST to service the
bond debt both times. Collectively, that saved property owners
over $1 million in taxes. The system, however, had to return
to levying that tax during the 2009 budget year when the 2003
SPLOST funds were exhausted.
With a little over $1.1 million left on the Danielsville bond, the
school system is scheduled to finish payments in 2012.
ty anticipates a 95-percent or
97-percent tax collection rate
next year. But the commission
ers think they’ll find ways to
make up that shortfall without
turning to taxpayers for addi
tional money.
That said, county homeown
ers can expect a tax increase of
over $240 on their next bill due
to the state government's aban
donment of the Homeowner’s
Tax Relief Grant.
Commissioners have repeat
edly said that they don’t want to
raise taxes on property owners,
noting that the state is already
hitting those homeowners with
an increased burden.
Instead of raising taxes, the
BOC may cover the revenue
shortfall in a couple of ways
— one, is cutting holiday pay
in 2010 for county employ
ees. The board discussed com
pletely eliminating holiday
pay next year, which would
save $225,000. However,
the board agreed to look for
another $112,500 to trim from
the county budget so they can
give employees 50 percent
holiday pay. They found the
answer Monday, when chair
man Anthony Dove announced
that the county will receive
$125,000 more in insurance
premium tax revenue than ini
tially expected.
Another funding source may
be leftover money in the 2009
budget. The commissioners
noted that they have approxi
mately $325,000 left in contin
gency funds for 2009. A por
tion of those funds may be put
toward the revenue shortfall.
However, salaries in the sher
iffs office weren’t adequately
funded in the 2009 budget.
And the BOC may have to use
contingency funds to cover that
shortfall (see related story).
BOC members also said the
county could generate more
revenues by encouraging citi
zens to buy goods and services
in Madison County rather than
elsewhere.
Commissioner John Pethel
suggested that the BOC man
date one furlough day per
month for county employees.
But commissioners didn’t seem
to think such a measure would
be necessary, particularly if
some holiday pay is cut.
"I think we need to be opti
mistic and see how it pans
out,” said commissioner Bruce
Scogin. "I think we’re looking
pretty safe ... without furlough
days ... It’s my hope that we
may not have to take holiday
pay.”
While the board spoke at
length about cutting expenses
— once again poring over line
after line in the budget and trim
ming $24,538 last Wednesday
— the group spoke, too, about
the need for a tax sale to force
delinquent taxpayers to pay up
or lose their property.
As of August, there was $3.2
million in unpaid property
taxes in Madison County, dat
ing back to 2004. The county's
portion of the unpaid taxes
is approximately $900,000,
according to numbers provid
ed by finance director Kathy
Clark.
“We have $900,000 in uncol
lected taxes,” said commission
er Stanley Thomas. "If we got
a sale, that should be a big
boost to income, but that’s if
that happens.”
Thomas added that a tax sale
would also prompt delinquent
taxpayers to pay up instead of
losing their property. He said
many people who are behind
on their taxes were delinquent
before the rough economic
times hit.
Commissioner Mike
Youngblood told Clark that he
wants a list with names and
addresses of all people behind
on their taxes.
Clark said that the county
has collected 91.75 percent of
its taxes for 2008 — this year's
tax bills have yet to be issued.
She noted that the county has
collected 99.68 percent for
2004, 99 percent for 2005, 98
percent for 2006 and 96.35
percent for 2007.
Clark said she believed an
anticipated 95-percent collec
tion rate would be safe for
2010. Budgets are typically set
with an anticipated 97-percent
collection rate. Meanwhile,
Scogin said he felt the county
could bounce back next year
with a 97-percent rate. The dif
ference between a 95 and 97
percent collection rate in 2010
would be $151,000 in revenue.
Pethel noted that some peo
ple don't pay their taxes and
yet expect the county to pro
vide services.
“A guy I talked to owes four
years in back taxes and he said
to me that if the county wasn’t
so sorry, we would come put
gravel on his road,’’ said Pethel.
“And I had to bite my tongue,
because one reason we can't
put gravel on your road is
unpaid taxes.”
As the board reviewed numer
ous line items in the 2010 bud
get last week, they discussed
legal fees that have exceeded
departmental budgets. For
instance, they noted that legal
fees in the tax assessor’s office
for 2009 total $22,991. The
BOC fired the assessor board
in April and was involved in
legal battle that lasted several
months. The group agreed
that legal fees in that office
will be reduced in 2010. The
group also noted that the road
department budgeted $500 for
legal expenses in 2008, but the
actual budget for road depart
ment legal fees in 2008 was
$94,196. The legal fees for that
department to date this year are
$22,933. That legal expenses
in the road department are
related to an ongoing lawsuit
over Sam Bruce Road in the
Harrison district.
Deficit.. • cont’d from 1A
amendment to cover the short
fall. Meanwhile, commissioners
have looked for line items to
trim in the sheriff’s department
to erase the budget shortfall,
though they may also have to
dip into county contingencies
to deal with the deficit. Thomas
was presented Monday with
roughly $109,000 in potential
budget cuts to help erase the
salary shortfall.
The sheriff said he didn’t
like the fact that he received
the proposed cuts only min
utes before the meeting, add
ing that he felt like he was
“blindsided.” Commissioner
Mike Youngblood agreed with
Thomas, saying the sheriff
should have had more time to
review the figures.
But BOC chairman Anthony
Dove said the figures represent
ed suggestions, that nothing was
being voted on Monday, and
that Thomas was presented the
numbers with the understanding
that the BOC and the sheriff
would need to meet again to
discuss options.
Sheriff Thomas told commis
sioners Monday that he did not
create the salary deficit problem
and should not be punished for
someone else’s mistake.
“This is a mistake I had noth
ing to do with and I don’t like
the fact that my budget is get
ting massacred because some
one else made a mistake,” said
Thomas. "... This right here
should have been caught last
year. I didn’t create this mon
ster.”
Youngblood said the BOC
will do what is needed to cor
rect the situation.
“It’s not your (the sheriff’s)
fault," said Youngblood. "It’s
something we’re going to have
to absorb. If we don’t, we’ll lose
every deputy we have.”
Commissioner Stanley
Thomas agreed that the sher
iff inherited the issue, but he
said the process for dealing with
the error has been flawed itself,
pointing out that the sheriff has
canceled two meetings with the
BOC to discuss the budget. The
commissioner noted that the fig
ure for the salary shortfall has
frequently changed and is now
up to $232,000.
“It’s been confusing and it
never has been real clear on
what that difference is," said
Thomas, adding that $232,000
represents over $4,000 per
employee, considering that
there are 55 employees under
the sheriff.
Commissioner John Pethel
questioned sheriff Thomas on
raises he gave to his chief depu
ty and secretary.
“Does this $232,000 include
the increase you gave to the
chief deputy when you took
office and to the secretary?"
asked Pethel.
Sheriff Thomas said that
investigators and three deputies’
positions were cut back from 84
to 80 hours per pay period.
“That made up that for the
chief deputy and my assistant
and then some,” said Sheriff
Thomas.
The salary changes approved
by commissioners in 2008 were
made after deputies complained
that pay increases awarded after
a pay wage study by the Carl
Vinson Institute were based on
80-hour and not 84-hour pay
periods. The BOC agreed to
adjust salaries to reflect the extra
four hours every two weeks in
deputies’ pay.
Commissioner Bruce Scogin
said at the end of Monday’s
meeting that he couldn’t under
stand how the salary deficit fig
ure in 2009 is that high, adding
that he’ll have to get a better
explanation.
"I’m not understanding where
the $232,000 is coming from,"
said Scogin.
Dove said the sheriff and the
BOC will need to work together
to solve the problem.
"We’re sitting here in a bud
get crisis and we have got to
look at how to come to a happy
medium somewhere, because
that amount of money is hard
to come up with in reduced
revenue,” he said. “... Whatever
happened in 2008, we have to
address 2009 and what we’ve all
been given."
Sheriff Thomas asked the
board to remember that he
cut housing out expenses for
inmates.
"What would y’all have done
if I hadn’t saved the county
$80,000 on inmates?" the sher
iff asked the board.
Dove replied that all depart
ments are looking for cuts, not
ing that the road department
slashed its budget and saved
$70,000 to $80,000.
"I think that’s what we expect
out of all departments to try to
work with us." said Dove.
Pethel asked the sheriff why
he asked for an increase in his
budget for housing out costs.
"Let me ask you one ques
tion." said Pethel. "If you knew
you was going to save that much
money on housing out inmates,
if I recall it was $90,000 last
year and you’re asking for
$110,000, why would you ask
for a $20,000 increase?"
"We actually lowered that,
Mr. Pethel, back to what it was,”
said sheriff Thomas.
"Yeah, we did, the board did,”
responded Pethel. "But why
would you ask for a $20,000
increase, knowing it wasn’t
going to cost you but probably
$20,000?”
Thomas said it’s hard to know
exactly what housing out costs
will be.
"You know, the thing with
them, you don’t know what
they’re going to do, as far as
Oglethorpe County,” said
Thomas. “He could call tomor
row and say he’s done. I hope he
don’t, believe me.”
Pethel said he doesn’t know
what to believe with the sher
iff’s budget.
"That’s what makes it so tough
on us,” said Pethel. "You come
in here asking for $100,000,
knowing it’s not going to cost
you but $20,000. It leaves us
wondering, "do they need that,
do they don’t need it?’"
Commissioner Thomas noted
that the county approved a
renewal of the one-cent local
option sales tax (SPLOST) with
a primary aim of expanding
the county jail to keep female
inmates in the county, rather
than paying for them to be
housed elsewhere. But the jail
expansion project has been put
on hold due to the economic
downturn.
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Saturday, October 17, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
across from the Fall Festival, downtown Danielsville
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