'Serious flaws’ found in tax digest; BOC meeting to make budget cuts postponed

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Staff Writer
in News Links, Top Stories
Wednesday, December 9. 2009
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The Banks County Board of Commission has postponed a meeting planned this week to make budget cuts until “serious flaws” in the tax digest are addressed.

“There are some serious flaws in the digest,” commissioner Joe Barefoot said at a BOC meeting Tuesday night. “We want to give our staff time to correct these flaws. Some properties are not listed and we need to get them listed.”

A meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 9, for the BOC to make budget cuts. This meeting will be rescheduled in the next few weeks after the tax digest is corrected.

The BOC was set last week to approve a 21 percent tax hike but citizen input led this to be postponed while the BOC goes back to the budget to make more cuts.

In other business Tuesday night, the BOC:

•agreed to continue to serve as the fiscal agent for the Family Connection program. The program receives $50,000 annually in state funds.

•heard from a representative of Turner Construction on problems with holes in the roof of the new annex building. County officials agreed for staff to meet with company representatives to look at the roof now that it has been repaired. If holes appear again, the county and company will investigate what is causing this to occur. “They are sizable holes,” the Turner Construction representative said. “They couldn’t have been something that was missed because of the heavy rains we have had. There are puncture holes. I don’t know if it’s damage caused by storms. It’s not a construction defect…There are holes all over the roof. Something is causing the holes. The right thing for us to do is take a look at it together and see that there are no issues.”

•renewed the alcohol license for county businesses. This is approved annually.

•approved a contract with Windstream to provide circuit equipment service. This five-year contract is $266 per month.

•approved the annual contract to provide services to Tates Creek for a $3,000 feel.

•approved a change order for the Mountain Creek Clearwell project. Instead of putting pipe in first as the contract called for, the company will put it in last after the grading is completed. There will be no cost to the county in making the change. This project is being funded with federal stimulus money.

•postponed filling two positions on the county planning commission until a reorganization of the planning department is completed. Keith Segars and Clyde McArthur are currently serving in these two positions on the planning commission.

•named Dennis Brown to replace Wayne Abernathy, who resigned, to represent the county on the Banks County Development Authority, Banks County Industrial Building Authority and the Northeast Georgia Joint Development Authority.

•appointed Ray Holcomb to replace Abernathy on the Banks County Public Safety Board.

•reappointed Milton Dalton to serve on the Northeast Georgia Joint Development Authority.

•reappointed Ron Gardiner, Kenny Crumley and Mike Gordon to the county recreation board.

•reappointed Rickey Cain and Leslie George to serve on the Chestatee Chattahoochee RC&D Board.

•approved a rock hauling contract with Liberty Trucking for $4.40 a ton.
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#1 Tax Payer on 12/21/09 at 07:19 AM [Reply]
Hey what happened to the story on the old fire chief ? Looks like maybe the main street news doesnt want to let the whole story get out. Makes everybody wonder what the whole truth is ? Maybe we have a biased paper who is covering for certain people, cause they didnt print the story until chan 5 ran it and they had a copy of the whole law suit since it was filed. Hey Buffington, is it time for a new staff ? Or maybe its time we start going after your advertisers, one by one.
#2 Angie Gary on 12/21/09 at 11:45 AM [Reply]
We received a copy of the lawsuit on Tuesday, Dec. 15. We ran the story on page one on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Angie Gary
Editor
The Banks County News
#3 JUST ME on 12/21/09 at 09:02 PM [Reply]
It was a few days before the Fire Chief/law suit story made it to the on line news.
I read it in the printed news as soon as it came out but I regularly check the blogs to see what people think. I am not surprised at what comes out of Banks County emergency services. WHAT'S NEXT??????












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