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PAGE 2A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. AUGUST 17. 2023
Ila continued from 1A
constructed at the current
site. However, officials are
open to reorienting and rede
signing it to better maximize
efficiency.
The city is in the process
of applying for a USDA
grant to fund the building
and no construction costs are
available at this time.
City business is to operate
out of the fire department,
located directly across
from City Hall on Hwy. 98,
during construction.
Carlton continued from 1A
son for urgency in the mat
ter was a reset and possible
increase in interest rates on
August 18.
The city will also use
$5,000 m SPLOST funds for
the project, which has been
planned and engineered by
John Phillips with an esti
mated total cost of $40,000 to
$50,000. The city will apply
for the loan and issue a Re
quest for Proposal as soon as
possible.
The council also utilized
the meeting to approve the
wording for a fluoride refer
endum. The referendum must
be submitted to the Board of
Elections for approval and
printing with the ballots.
If passed, the referendum
would stop the addition of
fluorine into water produced
through the City of Carlton’s
water treatment system. Cit
izens will have the opportu
nity to vote on the measure
during November’s munici
pal election.
911 continued from 1A
cy incidents only account for
around 30% of the dispatch’s
labor — the rest tends to go
unnoticed.
An average 12-hour shift
from either 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. has about
156 calls for service, both
emergency and non-emer
gency.
What gets overlooked,
Baird says, is that the bulk
of the job is not answering
phones but rather paperwork
and non-emergencies to help
public safety run smoothly.
“The lifesaving functions of
the dispatcher is well docu
mented in TV and movies,
but it is not accurately de
picted,” he adds.
Dispatchers enter and
modify warrants, protective
orders and stolen item infor
mation, and conduct criminal
history checks for all law en
forcement, the District Attor
ney and the public multiple
times every day.
Dispatchers also respond
to hits where another agency
runs a person’s information
for a warrant in Madison
County and locates where
an agency has contact with
a wanted person or item the
county is looking for. Other
duties include the handling
of administrative questions,
stolen items, victim notifica
tions, warrant inquiries and
the pickup of people in other
jails and prisons who have
warrants out of Madison.
The labor boils down to
working with all public safe
ty in the county including the
eleven volunteer fire depart
ments, four EMS stations,
the Sheriff’s Office, code
enforcement, both police de
partments and the occasional
Forestry Commission and
GSP troopers. That count
doesn’t include the outside
agencies who may need ser
vices.
“It is not uncommon to
have two dispatchers an
swering up to four phone
calls, while working three
radio channels, keeping me
ticulous notes in the CAD
system and mitigating the
circumstances with the per
son on the phone which may
include doing CPR by phone
or keeping feuding parties
separated,” Baird adds.
He notes that all the labor
is done by 10 dispatchers.
Three of the ten are still in
training and the center is cur
rently short two dispatchers.
“They are the first ‘first
responders’ — nothing hap
pens anywhere that doesn’t
happen here first,” Baird
says about the dispatch
team. “Very few people real
ly appreciate the work done
by dispatchers because it’s
usually behind the scenes,
but there’s no more import
ant job in all of public safe
ty than the 9-1-1 dispatcher.
I’ve heard it described that
being a dispatcher is similar
to reading an action-adven
ture novel that’s missing the
last five chapters because
once they get all the help
to the person/persons, they
never know how the inci
dent ends.”
“The dispatchers are ab
solutely the most unsung of
heroes.”
D’ville continued from 1A
• approved a $24,624
payment to Steedley Firm
for work completed in the
Sherwood sewer expan
sion. The invoice included
a $10,000 reduction for a
duplication of forms and
mailings.
• approved $7,000 for the
replacement and upgrade
of the concrete culvert on
Veterans Dr. from 24 to 36
inches. The new culvert will
alleviate future maintenance
and the county will assist in
the installation. The repairs
will be paid with ARPA
funds.
• approved $59,472 for the
purchase of a truck used by
the maintenance department.
The cost of the truck will be
offset by the sale of surplus
items currently listed online.
• approved a budget
amendment to reconfigure
spending in the police de
partment for FLOCK camer
as, which will be reimbursed
with an approved grant, new
body armor for a new officer
who will begin at the end of
August and new laptops.
Millage continued from 1A
a 1.7% increase per year.
From 2022-2024, we went
from 13 million to rough
ly $18.4 million (budget
was $16.4, but the mill rate
will bring in approximate
ly 2 million extra). That is
roughly a 15% increase per
year, 30% over two years.
This increase is with no ap
preciable increase in the to
tal number of students. So,
in short, I voted against the
15.25 mill rate because it
shifts the fulcrum between
‘adequate’ education and tax
burden way too far.”
Lampe had asked the rest
of the board to consider low
ering the millage rate down
to 14 mills, which would
have been as close to the full
rollback as possible while
maintaining the state thresh
old for equalization funding
of 14. There was no motion
on the table.
Hooper said in a fol
low-up response that while
he is only a single voting
voice, he feels that most of
the board believes 15.25 is
an appropriate number since
the future of the economy
is uncertain. He said 15.25
mills can address current and
future budgetary needs such
as future growth and unex
pected expenses, while 14
mills can’t.
He also noted that while
14 mills would meet this
year’s budget, it does come
“dangerously close” to losing
state equalization funding,
with this year’s equalization
amounting to approximately
$4.6 million.
“Each board member is
tasked with providing sound
policy to properly educate our
children safely and to serve
the stakeholders with finan
cial responsibility,” he add
ed. “Mr. Williams and staff
have done a tremendous job
preparing the ‘23-‘24 budget,
anticipated revenues and an
ticipated expenses. However,
it is impossible to predict the
future. The uncertainty of our
nation’s economy certainly
complicates this. Therefore,
we must plan to meet the cur
rent needs, but also plan for
future needs as well.”
CITY OF COLBERT
CURRENT 2023 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY
The Colbert Governing Authority does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting
to be held at City Hall on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Pursuant to the requirements of
O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, it does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year’s tax digest
and the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
CITY OF COLBERT
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Real & Personal
12.454.279
13.785.979
15.422.428
16,421.864
22,711,292
27,026,765
Motor Vehicles
236.270
182.780
156.890
144.260
144,690
139,500
Mobile Homes
50.242
49.926
51.288
51.288
51,288
58,795
Timber-100%
0
0
0
0
0
0
Heaw Dutv EauiDment
0
0
0
0
0
0
Gross Digest
12.740.796
14.018.685
15.630.606
16.617.412
22,907,270
27,225,060
Less M & O Exemctions
557.346
468,063
451,329
1.201.068
685,727
721,585
Net M & O Millage
12.183.445
13.550.622
15.179.277
15.416.344
22,221,543
26,503,475
Gross M & O Millage
12.2
12.2
12.2
12.2
12.2
12.2
Less Rollbacks
9.2
9.51
9.51
9.51
9.51
9.51
Net M & O Millage
3
2.69
2.69
2.69
2.69
2.69
Net Taxes Levied
36.550
36.451
40.830
41.470
59,776
71,294
Net Taxes $ Increase
479
-99
4.379
640
18,306
11,518
NetTaxes% Increase
1.01%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
27.73%
19.27%
“I believe the majority of
the board believes that a de
crease in the millage rate to
15.25 will accomplish several
things,” he shared about the
ultimate vote. “First, this rate
should lower taxes for most.
Secondly, this rate allows for
funding a balanced budget.
Lastly, this rate should sup
port a fund balance for fu
ture and possible unforeseen
needs. For example, this fis
cal year for 2024 has a state
mandated budgetary increase
of just over $5.8 million. We
have been advised that many
of these state mandated bud
get items will be required in
next year’s budget as well.
Additionally, expenses that
have been funded from the
CARES Act/ ESSER III
funds, approximately $3.1
million, will return to local
funding in fiscal year 2025.”
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
OPENING WEEK RE
TREATS! We are excited to
start the 2023-24 school year
at ACS with spiritual retreats
for both our middle school and
high school students. This week
our kids are heading to a near
by camp where they will enjoy a
variety of games and activities
throughout the day, and will be
encouraged to build their rela
tionship with God in the evening
sessions.
These retreats give our stu
dents the chance to have fun to
gether and bond in community.
They also provide unique oppor
tunities for those who will be tak
ing on leadership roles this year.
It’s a great way to start the year!
If you want an education that
provides great academics with a
Christian worldview, we invite
you to check out ACS.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
‘Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristianschool .org
BUSINESS VENDORS NEEDED:
Vendors will include businesses that provide
valuable services to local businesses (insurance
providers, pest control, banking & lending, legal
services, hvac, accounting, web design, logo
design, graphic design, landscape maintenance,
etc.).
TTT1 OCTOBER 17TH
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MADISON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:
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