Alcohol Ordinances Passed By County Commission, Property Assessments Reaching Mailboxes

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

With property assessments soon to be reaching mailboxes, the May 2nd meeting of the Dade County Board of Commissioners covered the upcoming budget and millage rate season, voted on the alcohol ordinance changes, and heard remarks from two citizens.

The board approved SPLOST expenditures for the Dade County Sheriff’s Office and Dade County Fire Department (Station One and Station Four).

First, Major Tommy Bradford requested $8,169.24 to purchase tasers for the DCSO. The commission approved the purchase.

Then, Jerry Kyzer (Trenton-Dade fire chief) requested funds for a cascade compressed air/tank system. (Small tanks on the fire trucks are for the firefighters’ air packs, and larger tanks at the station refill the small tanks, using the compressor.) The commission approved $51,886.55 for Station Four and $30,585 for Station One (with the remaining to be covered by the City of Trenton).

After Cole Adkins with Blevins Construction Management gave an update on the ongoing historic courthouse restoration, Phillip Hartline (District Two commissioner) asked what entity will be in charge of approving how the courthouse will be used. Rumley said the county commission will make these decisions.

Noting that she sits in on monthly meetings about the historic courthouse, Melissa Bradford (District Four commissioner) said she approves of the current plans for use. (See the January 24th issue of the Sentinel for an overview of the current plans.)

Hartline asked for official recommendations, saying, “This board’s not seen any in these meetings.” Plans have all been verbally discussed. Ted Rumley (county executive) said recommendations will be prepared for next month’s meeting.

Paula Duvall (chief tax assessor) then explained how property values are determined via a sales ratio study and this year’s increases. She first noted that the office plans to mail out assessment notices on May 10th and owners have 45 days to appeal the assessment.

For those interested, the entire segment is worth listening to, but in summary, Duvall said, “What the sales ratio study tells us is how well our appraised values match what actually sold.”

The initial assessments were below fair market values, so the department increased the base square foot value and increased some land values. Last year, the base value per square foot was $125; this year, it’s $135. Duvall noted that a number of factors could increase or lower this value for each property.

Regarding location, she said, “We can show you sales in your area, your subdivision, wherever you live, so you can see the sales that took place in your area to compare to the value we have on your property.”

Duvall noted that although it’s too late to apply for exemptions this year, there are a number of exemptions worth looking into for those hoping to lower their property tax bill in the future. As always, she extended an open invitation to the tax assessor’s office for any citizens with questions.

Robert Goff (District Three commissioner) asked for confirmation that last year’s tax credit from Governor Brian Kemp will not happen this year. Duvall confirmed that that is what the office was told.

The commission discussed the alcohol ordinance changes as proposed in the March meeting (see the March 13th and 28th issues of the Sentinel for details) before voting on each of the three changes later in the meeting. Lamar Lowery (District One commissioner) voted no on all three, while Bradford, Hartline, and Goff voted yes on all three. Rumley voted yes on the golf course ordinance but no on the other two.

During citizens participation, John Huffman spoke first, highlighting again his displeasure with the five-minute citizens participation limit. He said the limit applies only to citizens and not to government employees.

Huffman then said he has received no reply from the commission about his desire for the county to create a tracking system to document all complaints and questions from citizens as well as responses and resolutions.

Lastly, Huffman noted that the Thursday KWN News Now segments used to feature Rumley, but lately, Don Townsend (county CFO/clerk) has made frequent appearances. He said, “This has the appearance of county government endorsing one of their own who is running for office…This use of government to influence the election is not fair to the other candidates, and it is wrong, ethically, morally, and probably legally.”

He continued to talk about potential lawsuits.

Patrick Hickey then asked the commission about the possibility of painting double lines on residential portions of Brow Road on Sand Mountain where he’s seen speeding and passing become a safety issue.

Recognizing that making passing illegal with a double line will not entirely fix the problem, Hickey hopes it will help. Rumley said the road crew will be working in June, saying, “We can double line on our county roads pretty much anywhere we feel there’s a danger.”

Bradford noted that a request for additional DCSO patrol of certain areas can be made. Tommy Bradford explained, “There’s a list that we have [of county roads] approved by the state that we can run radar on…I think Brow Road is on there, certain areas of Brow Road.”

Lowery read the 911 calls for April, but due to an internal error, the numbers at the meeting were incorrect. Alex Case (EMA director) later sent the correct numbers to the Sentinel. The total calls were 3,129:

• EMS: 221
• Fire & Rescue: 266
• Law Enforcement: 2,642

During Laura Beth Cunningham’s report on 4-H, she mentioned plants that repel mosquitoes. She said, “Our mosquitos are going to get worse. They are never going to get better. It does not consistently stay cold enough here to kill them off, so we’re going to have longer mosquito seasons.”

The plants she presented that repel mosquitoes: oregano, peppermint, basil, geranium, lemongrass, tansy, lavender, bee balm, feverfew, marigold, sage, and petunia.

After giving the monthly financial report, Townsend announced the schedule for the adoption of the annual budget. From May 6th-24th, the county will hold budget hearings with each department. Townsend hopes to have a proposed budget ready to present at the June commission meeting.

Then, a public hearing will be on June 13th and the special called meeting to adopt the budget will be June 20th, in preparation for the July 1st start of the next fiscal year.