Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 10. 2009
Giving..
ACTION, Inc. can also use vol
unteer workers.
She noted that Madison County
citizens have rallied to support
ACTION, Inc. programs during
these tough times.
“We appreciate the community
because it really has stepped up
to the plate,” Rooker said. “But
the need still rolls on.”
For more information, contact
ACTION, Inc. at 706-795-2180.
MADISON COUNTY
SENIOR CENTER
The local senior center delivers
meals to 49 senior citizens regu
larly who are in need.
People may donate food or
other types of gift — anything
from clothing to paper goods —
for these seniors.
“The home delivery, they’re
kind of left out in the cold as far
as gifts,” senior center director
Joe Dudley said.
“Any kind of stuff like that,
however it comes in here, we’ll
get it to them,” Dudley added.
As for the activities at the
senior center, Dudley said the
organization welcomes donations
—canned goods, paper goods —
as prizes for the center’s weekly
bingo games for senior citizens.
“They all love to play bingo,”
Dudley said. “We use that kind
of stuff as bingo gifts. Rather than
giving to an individual, you can
give to something like that. We
would love to have that type of
stuff for the center.”
Dudley notes that some groups
in Madison County have already
donated to the cause. The Pilot
Club is sponsoring a Dec. 18
bingo event at the center, while
Curves is bringing gift bags for
the seniors at the center.
Dudley praises those who vol
unteer their time for the senior
center.
“We’ve got a lot of people
who donate their time,” Dudley
said. “We can’t even begin to
acknowledge or say thank you
enough for that.”
Meanwhile, the senior center
is coordinating a food drive for a
Taxes ...
now paid their taxes.
DTS will soon conduct manda
tory title searches on delinquent
properties. And the properties up
for sale will be advertised in the
legals section of this newspaper for
several weeks prior to the sale.
“People have to be properly
notified," said Watson. ‘Then they
have so many days to pay to stop
the process."
Watson said the last tax sale the
county had in 2004 began with
100 parcels and then “four actually
went to sale, and some of them
were undesirable property.”
She said she has received about
five percent of the 2009 taxes so
far, with Jan. 14 set as the deadline
for property owners to pay this
year’s taxes.
As county commissioners have
discussed the 2010 budget, they
have frequently brought up unpaid
taxes as a drain on revenues. They
cont’d from 1A
WHAT ELSE?
Contact the Madison
County Journal at706-
795-2567 or 706-367-
5233 ext. 104 to let
us know about more
charitable causes this
holiday season.
family for Christmas.
“So we’re doing things to help
out,” Dudley said.
Those wishing to donate to the
senior center can call 706-795-
2542.
MADISON
OGLETHORPE
ANIMAL SHELTER
The two-county shelter located
on Colbert-Danielsville Road
needs monetary donations as
it faces financial hardships due
to decreased contributions and
increased intake numbers.
But it also has specific supply
needs, too — dog food, cat food,
cat litter, paper towels, bleach,
rubbing alcohol and laundry
detergent.
“Those are the biggies .. but
the main thing is dog food and
cat food,” shelter director Susan
Fomash said.
Fomash stresses that the shelter
needs both dry and canned cat
food for cats.
For more information, contact
the shelter at 706-795-2868
MADISON COUNTY
FINE FINISH
Madison County’s Fine Finish
program, which provides day ser
vices to those with developmen
tal disabilities, will take donations
for its Christmas Party, Dec. 16.
Whatever isn’t donated or
made, the program must pur
chase.
Fine finish — which is part of
Advantage Behavioral Services
— also takes monetary donations
or Christmas gifts for those the
program serves.
Those wishing to help can con
tact the organization at 706-795-
2141.
cont’d from 1A
have frequently voiced the desire
to see a tax sale, Watson said no
commissioners have come by her
office to discuss the tax situation.
She has also been a focus of blog
gers who contend she needs to do
more to collect taxes. As of August,
some $3.2 million remained uncol
lected.
But the tax commissioner said
she has been shortstaffed for years
and the tax bill deadline has been
“haywire" due to perennially
late digests, which has hampered
efforts to hold a sale. She said that
she recognizes that the county is
facing financial troubles and that
she and her office are working hard
to carry out all responsibilities.
“I want to assure the public that
I am doing my job,” said Watson,
adding that she worked until 9:30
p.m. one night last week. “I am in
the top 10 percent in the state as far
as collections.”
Shots... cont’d from 1A
ing the vaccine to everyone age six months and older.
The supply of the vaccine has begun to stabilize, in comparison to
demand among the priority groups.
Public health officials will continue to target high-risk patients,
including pregnant women; children and young adults from six months
to 24 years of age; people ages 25 to 64 years with chronic conditions,
such as asthma, diabetes, and type of chronic respiratory conditions,
heart disease and immunosuppressive disorders; people who live with
or care for children six months of age or younger; and healthcare and
emergency medical services personnel with patient contact.
For more information, call the health department at 706-795-2131.
MCHS to go to seven-period schedule?
By Ben Munro
ben@mamstreetnews. com
An overwhelming majority
of teachers at Madison County
High School are interested in
shedding block scheduling
in favor of a modified seven-
period day.
Madison County Schools
Superintendent Mitch
McGhee informed the board
of education (BOE) Tuesday
of MCHS’s wishes.
“It’s a pretty unique sched
ule,” McGhee said.
A committee of Madison
County High School teach
ers voted 79-17 to explore
the seven-period format after
studying Morgan County High
School’s schedule.
More details will follow in
January when MCHS princi
pal Chad Stone makes a pre
sentation to the BOE.
McGhee said the most “off
the wall” facet of Morgan
County’s configuration is that
classes don’t start until 9:30
a.m. on Wednesdays. Teachers
have a common planning time
that morning.
McGhee noted that the
Madison County faculty was
strongly influenced by what
they saw at Morgan County
High School.
“It’s pretty innovative stuff,”
McGhee said. “It’s very sound
in what they want to do.”
The BOE could vote on the
new schedule by March as
MCHS would like to go ahead
and start scheduling for next
year.
The new schedule would
require the BOE to drop the
minimum number of credits
for graduation from 28 to 24.
While the seven-period format
contains more academic min
utes, it provides less opportu
nities for classes, requiring the
reduction.
“It’s not watering it down
or making it easier,” McGhee
said. “There’s just less oppor
tunities for credits.”
McGhee feels the seven-
period day will probably be a
hot topic of conversation in the
community.
“It’s a big change,” McGhee
said. “It was a big change to
go on the block (schedule) and
it will be a big change to go
off it.”
Due to the federal require
ments of the No Child Left
Behind Act and increased
weight placed on testing,
McGhee said block schedul
ing is becoming less effective.
“This has really been com
ing for a number of years,”
McGhee said.
Donation of $10,000 to struggling animal shelter
possible if county, community can match it
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison Oglethorpe
Animal shelter has a shot to
receive the holiday gift it des
perately seeks.
Shelter director Susan
Fomash said an anonymous
donor called to pledge $ 10,000
to the shelter, but only if the
community opens its wallets,
too, for the financially-strug
gling facility.
“He would give a $10,000
donation if the county —
whether it be the county or cit
izens — matched it,” Fomash
said.
The hope now is that the
community can respond,
because the shelter needs the
money, Fomash said.
“That would truly make my
day,” said Fomash, who has
made an appeal to the public
for donations.
The Madison Oglethorpe
Animal Shelter (MOAS),
which opened in 2002, has
historically been strapped for
funds with high intake num
bers and little cash. But the
facility has been hit extra hard
this year as donations have
slumped and dogs and cats
continue to be dropped off.
She predicts that the shel
ter’s intake for the year will
reach 2,500 by Dec. 31.
The donation proposal
comes a couple weeks after
Fomash declared MOAS in
“financial crisis.” She said the
next two to three months are
critical for the shelter.
Both county governments
supply MOAS with money
yearly—Madison County pro
vides $78,000 and Oglethorpe
County gives $38,000 — but
it’s not been enough to keep
up with costs.
The director has sought the
help of the community for
donations, saying the shelter
needs about $15,000 in con
tributions to get it through the
spring.
Fomash hopes this latest
donation proposal can inspire
the community, perhaps even
some of the businesses, to
donate.
Danielsville budget down 20% in 2010
Council swears in new members
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
The city of Danielsville
geared up for 2010 Monday
night, passing the budget
and millage rate for the
new year and swearing in a
new mayor and two coun
cil members.
With the mill rate
approved at 2.85 mills, the
council unanimously voted
to approve the general
fund budget at $382,505
in revenues and expenses
for 2010, which is down
approximately 20 percent
from the 2009 budget.
The water fund budget is
also down, with the total
revenue and expenses at
$417,020 for 2010, down
from $523,905 for 2009.
Due to a shortfall in
revenue, the council has
trimmed expenses, most
significantly by furlough
ing all city employees two
days per month, beginning
in January, which is esti
mated to cut $60,922 from
the overall budget.
Also Monday night, city
clerk Connie Riley admin
istered the oath of office to
Mayor-elect Philip Croya
and new council members
Jamie Spurlin and Ron
Faust. Croya defeated long
time mayor Glenn Cross in
November, and Spurlin and
Faust were elected without
opposition.
The three newly-elected
officials will begin their
two-year terms on Jan. 1.
In a separate matter, the
council agreed to amend
the work schedule of tem
porary officer Steve Gary
while police chief Rodney
Christian is on vaca
tion from Dec. 18 - Jan.
4. They also agreed to
table a decision on hir
ing for the vacant posi
tion until January, when
Christian returns from
vacation. Chief Christian
commended officer Gary
for his work, saying that
Gary knows the city and is
“doing a good job,” includ
ing helping to stem loi
tering and skateboarding
on sidewalks. The coun
cil agreed to table a fine
schedule ordinance amend
ment for the police depart
ment until next month.
In other business, the
council approved beer
and wine licenses for
Danielsville Beer and
Wine, Danielsville BP,
Danielsville Corner Store
and the Golden Pantry.
Royal Food Store, which
did not submit the required
paperwork on time, will be
issued a permit at the coun
cil’s Jan. 4 meeting. The
council noted that no alco
hol sales will be allowed
there Jan. 1-4.
The council also agreed
to reset its bi-monthly pay
schedules so that they will
be paid at the end, rather
than at the beginning, of
the two-month pay cycle.
The council voted to hire
county engineer Phil Munro
to perform a cost evalua
tion site enhancement for
$5,800 on the city’s waste-
water pond. Merk made
the motion to hire Munro,
saying that he not only had
the lowest of the three bids
received, but that he is an
“in-county” person.
New Danielsville council member Jamie Spurlin (L),
new mayor Philip Croya (C) and new council member
Ron Faust (R) were sworn into office Monday.
Festival committee
donates to food bank
Members of the Danielsville Fall Festival committee
presented a $1,000 donation to the Madison County
Food Bank last week. Pictured (L-R) are Jerry Riley,
Grace Riley, food bank director Bobbie Rooker and
Connie Riley. Rooker noted that the food bank served
85 families in November and 219 individuals and that 12
applications for food assistance had come in as of Dec.
3. The food bank has also received 140 family applica
tions for Christmas toy assistance, which will serve 340
children. Rooker noted that this is approximately 150
more applications than 2008. Margie Richards/staff
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