The Paper June 21 edition

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CMYK

SPORTS: 1,200-plus pedal in Jackson County Brevet, 1B

Book sale on the library porch. 3B 50¢

THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012

County, cities launch LOST talks By LEANNE AKIN lakin@clickthepaper.com Jackson County is proposing to gain 1 percent in additional Local Option Sales Tax as the renegotiation of dividing the sales tax pie gets under way. Officials of Jackson County and its municipalities will be meeting over the coming months to come up with another formula for distributing the sales tax collected to provide property tax relief and pay for existing, mandated or expanded local government services.

The LOST formula is renegotiated every 10 years, and County Manager Kevin Poe invited the mayors to the table to begin talks. The session was held at noon Tuesday in the Jackson County Fire Training Center. Letters went out recently but the City of Arcade was inadvertently omitted. However, Hoschton City Administrator Cindy George forwarded a copy to Mayor Doug Haynie so he and City Clerk Debbie Mockus were in attendance. All cities were represented and each was requested to have their city attorneys provide a letter that the city meets the criteria to be a “qualified municipality.”

Negotiating teams from the county and cities will be meeting to attempt to begin working out a new certificate of distribution. Poe presented the county’s proposal to share the LOST with cities sharing 36.67 percent to be divided among the cities by their own formula with Jackson County getting 63.33 percent. Currently, Jackson County receives 62.33 percent of the Local Option Sales Tax collected. The cities divide the remainder with Arcade receiving 3.95 percent, Braselton getting 1.69 percent, Commerce receiving 13.72 percent, Hoschton getting 2.57 percent,

Jefferson seeing 9.2 percent while Maysville gets 1.38 percent. A divvy of 2.99 percent currently goes to Nicholson, while Pendergrass gets 1.03 percent and Talmo receives 1.14 percent. That formula was established in 2002 and was based primarily on population. The next distribution will weigh eight criteria according to the LOST statute, but Poe said the county considers population, tax digest and General Fund expenditures to be the best reflection of how the LOST should be distributed. The cities will select a negotiating team to meet with the county’s team, led by Poe.

New signs will direct visitors to downtown Braselton By LEANNE AKIN lakin@clickthepaper.com

LeAnne Akin The Paper

TICO Senior Managing Director Masahaharu Suzuki and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal talk prior to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Toyota Industries Compressor Parts of America (TICA) which is expected to launch production in September of 2013 with six million units to be manufactured by 2016. A $35 million investment is being made in Jackson County.

Toyota expands presence in county By LEANNE AKIN lakin@clickthepaper.com The size of the Toyota’s investment in Jackson County and the State of Georgia was celebrated Monday as Toyota Industries Compressor Parts of America (TICA) was welcomed as Jackson County’s latest corporate citizen. Shane Short, president and CEO of the Jackson County Area Chamber of Com-

merce, officially welcomed Toyota during a groundbreaking celebration which included Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and TICO Senior Managing Director Masahaharu Suzuki exchanging gifts. Mr. Suzuki also exchanged gifts with Jackson County Commission Chairman Hunter Bicknell. A $350 million investment is being made into Toyota Industries Compressor Parts of America (TICA) which is expected to launch production in September of 2013 with six million units to be manufactured by 2016.

The creation of 320 new jobs Variable type compressor components will be manufactured at the facility which will be constructed adjacent to the existing Toyota plant on Valentine Industrial Drive in central Jackson County. Examples of the compressors found in many Americanmade automobiles as well as Toyotas were displayed at the ceremony.

See TOYOTA, page 3A

It’s time to get people back to historic downtown Braselton. As the punch list is being completed on road construction projects in the Town of Braselton, the Downtown Development Authority is eager to get signage erected to direct people to the downtown area. While the authority members had previously discussed the negative impact of two road construction projects on traffic and access to the businesses in the downtown area, they acknowledged the completion will hopefully make the pain endured worth the wait. Town officials last week celebrated the completion of the project which created a new intersection at Davis Street at Ga. 53 where the traffic was activated June 12. Davis Street connects Highway 53 to the new Highway 124. Recently, town officials joined with Braselton family members and Jackson County, state and Georgia Department of Transportation representatives for the official opening celebration of Lewis Braselton Boulevard with the county’s Zion Church Road project. DDA members agree that with the two projects now completed, permanent signs should be erected. Town Manager and Clerk Jennifer Dees noted the DDA could develop a directional sign that looks similar to those in Jefferson with the names of businesses but that easements would be necessary for placement of those types of signs. Signs ordinances would have to be followed so the location and zoning of the property would come into play. Clay Eubanks said the new downtown director should have the experience and expertise to research how to best market downtown with sign design and location. He suggested that opting for the road signs suggested by Dees as an immediate solution and waiting until the downtown director is hired this fall to pursue the more elaborate signage. The DDA will be scheduling a called meet-

See BRASELTON, page 5A

Tuesday forum shows political scene is heating up From staff reports The political volleys are being fired as candidates in contested races may be feeling the heat to connect with voters. In Tuesday’s second political forum hosted by the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce and Jackson County Farm Bureau, District 1 County Commissioner Tom Crow, who is seeking to unseat Chairman Hunter Bicknell, took aim at his opponent. He said Bicknell, who claims to be conservative, puzzled him by his stance on spending. Crow also took Bicknell to task for changing his mind and abandoning his 9th Congressional bid. Bicknell said the commission had done a

INSIDE Church Entertainment Events Forum Obituaries

4A 7B 8B 6A 4A

good job in hiring Kevin Poe as the new county manager after a revolving door of managers since the voters approved a change in the from of government in 2001. Now, Bicknell said, it is time for commissioners to stop meddling in the department operation. Crow said the commission should work as a five-man team. The chairman candidates were asked about the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) which will be on the July 31 ballot. The initiative would be a funding source for the projects identified for Regional Transportation Roundtables. Bicknell chaired the Northeast Georgia roundtable which included Jackson County projects from the county’s road priority list.

Volume 6, Number 33 4A Pastor’s Pen Police report 8A Puzzles 7B Schools 4B Sports 1-2B

Bicknell said while he opposed new taxes, who pointed to his conservative voting rethe issue at hand is about economic devel- cord, including opposing the West Jackson opment and continuing to move forward as EMS station due to cost and location. a county. He said the projects for Jackson Bicknell said Crow “has pretty much demCounty are good ones. Without T-SPLOST’s onstrated how he’ll distort things” related to passage, funds for transportation projects three EMS stations toward which commismay have to come from redirected Local Op- sioners allocated $900,000 in public safety tion Sales Tax (LOST) funds. He urged voters funds remaining from a previous SPLOST to study the projects. toward three EMS stations. Crow agreed that Jackson County would Crow contends those funds are bond probenefit greatly from the funds T-SPLOST ceeds and should be used to pay down the would generate but he questioned whether debt. the Jackson County Airport needed a $3 milThe commission chairman’s race is not lion second taxiway. While there are some the only contest that has candidates making projects which may be nice to have, he said, comparisons. they are not necessary. “The overspending has to stop,” said Crow, See FORUM, page 2A

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