Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 25 No. 5 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
TAXES
Delinquent
county property
taxes rolling in
Tax sale expected Map 4
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
After receiving letters
informing them that they
might lose their land, many
Madison County property
owners are paying their
delinquent taxes.
Figures from Madison
County tax commissioner
Louise Watson's office,
show that as of Oct. 1 —
just before those letters were
mailed — uncollected prop
erty taxes for the county
government, schools, the
industrial authority and the
state for 2004-2008 were
$2.29 million. As of Jan.
14, that figure had dropped
to $1.55 million, meaning
$743,359 in back taxes had
been collected in the past
three-and-a-half months.
Meanwhile, property own
ers two years or more behind
on their taxes may lose their
property on May 4, unless
they pay in full before their
property is sold.
Watson said she expects
to hold a tax sale on the first
Tuesday in May. She has no
exact count on how many
property owners were sent
that letter, but she estimated
that it was roughly 600.
“We were at about 600;
now we’re probably less
— See ‘"Taxes” on 2A
FATALITY
Elderly man dies
in Carlton fire
An elderly Carlton man
was found dead early
Monday after firefighters
extinguished a blaze at his
home.
Olis Winn, 88, was discov
ered deceased at his house
off Hwy. 72 Monday morn
ing. Carlton and Comer vol
unteer firemen responded to
the blaze.
Carlton fire captain Chip
Chandler said the house was
engulfed in flames when the
firemen arrived. Chandler
said the fireman battled the
fire for over an hour.
“It was a stubborn fire,”
he said.
No cause for the fire
has been confirmed, but
Chandler said the fire was
most intense near an electri
cal breaker box.
“The origin of the fire was
close to the box,” he said.
ECONOMY
Foreclosures up in March
Forty Madison County
properties are being adver
tised in The Madison County
Journal for the March fore
closure sale, an increase from
25 in February, but below
the monthly record of 52 in
January.
The three-month foreclo
sure advertising total for 2010
is 117, a pace of 468 for year.
In 2009, 377 foreclosures
were advertised in The
Madison County Journal.
That’s up from 260 foreclo
sures advertised in 2008 and
150 advertised in both 2006
and 2007.
While the foreclosure sales
are advertised in the newspa
per, not all properties will nec
essarily be sold through the
foreclosure process. Mortgage
holders could still setde with
lenders before the property is
sold at the courthouse steps.
AREA NEWS
Incinerator vote
set for Monday
Madison Co. residents active in fight;
GreenFirst holds forum on facility
A large sign against the planned Plant Granite trash incin
erator sits in a truck outside the Elberton Civic Center
Monday. A number of Madison County residents have been
active in the fight against the incinerator, helping collect
signatures for a petition aimed at forcing a referendum on
the proposal.
GreenFirst CEO Ernest
Kaufmann told a crowd at
the Elberton Civic Center
that the planned incinera
tor will be a safe facility
with no adverse environ
mental impacts.
The Monday vote:
A public hearing on changes
to Elbert County’s Solid Waste
Management Plan to allow an
incinerator will begin at 4:30
pm, followed by a second
hearing at 5 p.m. on a ‘deter
mination of consistency’ of
the incinerator with the Solid
Waste Management Plan.
The Elbert BOC then plans
to vote on a proposed site
for a waste-to-energy incin
erator at its 5:30 p.m. meeting.
According to the Elbert County
BOC office Wednesday, the
meetings may be moved to the
Superior Courtroom instead
of the BOC’s smaller regular
meeting room, but no official
decision had been made as of
press time.
Editorial: ‘The incinerator:
it’s a matter of trust," Page 4A
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Elbert County commission
ers will vote Monday on a
waste-to-energy incinera
tor near the Madison-Elbert
County line that could bum
roughly one billion pounds of
trash annually.
Many Madison County
residents have spoken out in
opposition to the proposed
Plant Granite in recent weeks,
saying it will pollute the air
and lead to hundreds of trash
trucks traveling through
Madison County each week.
In fact, 13 Madison County
residents helped Elbert
County citizens collect sig
natures this past weekend in
Elbert County, with hopes of
forcing a referendum on the
incinerator, which is planned
on 220 acres off of Hwy. 72
at Ware Road just inside the
Elbert County line.
Ed Gilmore, Carlton, helped
gather signatures for a “Right
to Vote” petition.
— See “Incinerator” on 2A
Signing Day at MCHS
Congratulations!
Four Madison County High School football players signed college scholarships
Wednesday in the high school media center. They are (L-R) Patrick McCrary, Savan
nah State; Connor Boyett, Alabama-Birmingham; Jacob Owens, Army; and Jamal
Cooper, Georgia Military. Ben Munro/staff
HONOR
Hwy. 72 to
receive name
change?
Colbert considers
honor for Waggoner
By Jeremy Elrod
Correspondent
The gateway to Colbert
— Hwy. 72 — may soon be
known by a different name
within city limits: “John
Waggoner Parkway.”
“For his efforts in improv
ing the appearance of the
gateway to the city, we felt
it would be appropriate to
establish an appropriate
symbol in his honor for all
his services,” said city attor
ney Dale Perry, who was
asked by new mayor Chris
— See “Colbert” on 2A
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3A.12A
Opinions — 4-5A
Crime —6A
Socials — 7-8A
Churches —9A
Classifieds —10-11A
Sports — 1-2B
Schools — 3B, 12B
Obituaries —4B
Legals — 5-11B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJournalTODAY
com
Closing in on
sub-region titles
Both Madison County
boys’ and girls’ basketball
teams are chasing sub-
region titles. The squads
will host Clarke Central
Friday.
— Page1B
CITY NEWS
Danielsville mulls water rate increases
... will meet Feb. 22 to discuss matter
Danielsville City Hall
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Danielsville’s relatively
cheap water rates will pre
sumably rise.
The city council, which is
considering different water
price increases, reviewed
the corresponding revenue
projections during a three-
hour-and-40-minute meeting
Monday.
The different projections
included figures for raising
base rates by 50 percent and
100 percent and different
increases for additional gal
lon usage (over 2.000 gal
lons).
Danielsville’s current base
fee is $5.50 inside the city
limits and $10 outside the
city limits, and those base
fees bring in $43,758 annu
ally.
Though the city hasn’t
made any rate changes,
plans for anticipated revenue
increases have been made.
Danielsville went ahead
and canceled the remain
ing furlough days for city
employees in anticipation of
increased water revenue.
City clerk Connie Riley
provided a comparison of
Danielsville’s water rates to
cities of similar size in the
area and plugged in some
of the rate increases in the
evaluation.
“Even at this, these rates
are still lower than some
of those surrounding cit
ies, and surrounding cities
in Madison County for that
matter,” Riley said.
The city may also consider
boosting commercial rates
as a way to bolster revenue.
In addition to rate changes,
the city is also planning an
overhaul of its billing pro
cedures, including how it
will handle hardship cases
— See “DVille” on 2A
