Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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. > w m i/JuJltSOLlJ J-iJJJjJiliJ GRAND OPENING! Hosp&i-jJ Prizes and Fun Sor the Whole Family! Saturday, October 17, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. across from the Fall Festival, downtown Danielsville / ty* &L ty* ty* &L ty* ty* «> Of* t»a or* f>a Of* r»a Of* ha Of* flr»