The Jackson City Council invited the members of other local governments in Butts County to share the news of their government, board or authority and meet newly elected officials at a dinner meeting at the Municipal Court Building on Thursday, November 19.
Represented at the joint meeting were the city councils of Jackson, Jenkinsburg, and Flovilla, Butts County Board of Commissioners, Butts County Board of Education, and Butts County Water Authority. Also in attendance were Georgia State Representatives David Knight, District 126, and John Lunsford, District 110, Georgia State Senator Johnny Grant, District 25, and Georgia Department of Transportation’s David Millen. Legislative director Clint Mueller from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and Tom Gehl of the Georgia Municipal Association were also present.
After Jackson Mayor Charlie Brown welcomed everyone and an abundant and delicious meal catered by Bill’s Smokin’ Que was enjoyed by all of those present, Mayor Brown introduced the newly elected Beth Smith (Jackson City Council), David Nestor (Jenkinsburg City Council), Son Douglas, Letha Kinard, and Catherine Watson (Flovilla City Council) and then introduced David Millen of Georgia DOT as the first speaker of the evening.

Roads & traffic
Millen was promoted to District 3 District Engineer one month ago and is now in charge of DOT projects in 31 counties, including Butts County, with his office in Thomaston. He also worked with Butts County in his previous position. Millen explained his promotion as going from supervising 70 employees to supervising 600. He said the contract was due to be let the following day for the resurfacing of Highway 16 from Forest Avenue to Pulliam Street in Jackson. “Hopefully we will have a bid we can award for milling into the existing asphalt,” said Millen.
Contracts for two more Butts County projects should be let on December 11: Highway 42, including passing lanes, and Brownlee Road from Highway 36 to the county line. “Of course bonding issues have to happen and there are also weather issues to consider before we can begin the work and corrupt your lives for a while,” said Millen. He also talked of future projects in Butts County, including the one-way pair through Jackson and work on two bridges, one on Highway 36 near the Newton County line and the Towaliga River Bridge on Highway 36 near the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison.
Mowing on state highway right-of-ways has been delayed due to budget cut-backs at Georgia DOT, where the budget has gone from $10.1 million to $3.6 million this year. “The motor fuel tax kept us funded for many years but no longer,” said Millen. “You don’t realize what you had until it’s not there; Georgia was #1 in road maintenance for years. But no safety issue will be overlooked. If mowing needs to be done for vision, it will be done before the sun goes down.”
Board of Education Chairman Ernest Battle asked about getting an advance warning blinking light at the intersection of Shiloh Road and Highway 16 near Daughtry Elementary. “It is truly a safety issue, especially for the person stationed there directing the traffic,” added Superintendent Lynda White. Millen replied that since funding had been approved for the passing lanes on Highway 42, the earmark could be shifted to the warning light.
Mayor Brown said Jackson wants to take down some traffic lights to make traffic move. “It’s as hard to get them down as it is to put them up,” said Millen. “Hopefully, we will get them down.” Millen talked about the terrific cooperative project between Jackson and DOT in improving the intersection of Highway 36 and Covington Street. “That cooperative effort resulted in one-eighth the cost on the project,” said Millen.
Flovilla Mayor Harvey Norris asked about getting a caution light on Highway 87 where trucks come off of a hill at the convenience store and two fatalities occurred a couple of years ago. Millen said a speed zone study would be down at the site.
Budget woes
The program then shifted to Senator Grant who talked of the state budget shortfall. “The state budget is operating per capita with what we had in the mid 1990’s. Most recent revenue collections were 15 percent behind last year. We are mandated to operate on a balanced budget,” said Grant. “Our revenues lag the economy 12 to 18 months.”
Grant, who sits on the state appropriations committee, reflected that one bright spot for Butts County is that the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison is solid. “It would be one of the last facilities to close,” said Grant.
Representative Knight continued the report on the state budget. He explained that 46 percent of the state’s income comes from individual taxes and 30 percent comes from sales tax. Education accounts for 56-57 percent of expenditures, health care is 20 percent of the state’s expenses, and eight percent of the state’s budget goes to servicing debt. “We’re faced with some tough decisions,” said Knight. “We need a new funding source; that is the issue this year.”
“Something has to happen at the state level to lesson regulations on local governments by the Department of Community Affairs,” said Mayor Brown. “All of these surveys are costing us money. We can’t keep up all the things the state keeps telling us to do. I can’t figure out who all of this is important to. “
Brown reported revenues for Jackson are down 25 percent. It does not help that the state revenue service now sends the sales tax revenue on the 15th of the month rather than the first of the month. “There are no checks and balances,” said Brown. “When there is a mistake; the money sits in a black hole waiting for correction.”
“It is a statewide issue,” said Grant. “We hear it from every community that deals with the Department of Revenue.”
“We’re talking a lot of money,” said Jackson Council member Wayne Phillips. “It’s amazing how many [businesses] are on our [tax] rolls and not on theirs.”
“We all agree the system we have is not efficient,” said Knight. “Tax compliance should be easy. We don’t want a different authority to collect local and state [sales] taxes.”
“$16-18 million collected on telephone bills to support local 911 service was placed in the state’s general fund. That’s local money paid to support local 911 systems within the county,” said Lunsford. “I’m not real happy with the Department of Revenue.”
Discussion followed about furlough days for teachers and other state and county employees and about the homestead credit which the state took back from property taxes this year after eight years.
Water planning & individual reports
“What are we going to do with these state water planning councils?” asked Mayor Norris. “I’m afraid. Right now there are fights over who gets the water.”
“Human consumption will remain the #1 priority,” said Grant. “But you have to get the right numbers [in the 2010 census].”
“Georgia is one of the few states in the South that has been proactive in water planning,” said Knight. “We need to get all the right people at the table making those decisions.”
Marcie Seleb, General Manager, reported for the Butts County Water Authority that although there were no funds for construction at this time, the Authority is still able to spend on engineering in planning for the future.
Mitch McEwen, Chairman of the Butts County Board of Commissioners, observed that building permits in the county had fallen from 60-70 to 3-4 per month. The county income was $50-60,000 per month short. “I am proud of the relationship the Board has,” said McEwen. “The only way to get through is to work together. We will do anything we can do together to save money.”
Reporting on activities at the county level, Butts County Administrator Alan White said, “We are trying to be more focused on regular and routine operation of the county.” The county will be striping 8.4 miles of roadway, including Bibb Station and Taylor Roads. The county’s cost for healthcare is $2.1 million for 264 employees. The Development Authority is getting more calls on the property at I-75.
“We’re right on line with Rock Quarry Road,” said White. “It will be at least two years before digging rock begins. The county will be buying rock at a discount.”
Clint Mueller, representative from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, spoke about the lack of communication between the Georgia Department of Revenue and the local governments and the adverse impact it had caused on collection and distribution of sales taxes. Less than one percent of businesses in Georgia are audited on sales tax whereas other states average two to four percent. “Locals know the businesses in their communities better than anyone else,” said Mueller.
Tom Gehl of the Georgia Municipal Association said, “There are dire estimates for this year and next.” Georgia now has less jobs than in 2001, with over 480,000 unemployed.
In his update on Flovilla, Mayor Norris said, “Our budget is less than it was four years ago, and we haven’t seen a building permit in two years, but in Flovilla we’ve always done a lot with a little. We work together and do the best we can.” Flovilla is going to build a wastewater treatment plant. The permit has been changed from Big Sandy to Plymale Creek.
The last one to provide an organizational update to the group of governmental representatives was Superintendent of Butts County Schools Lynda White. “We worked hard in our budget meetings because we didn’t want the major cutbacks of the surrounding school systems. We raised millage one-half mil to buy textbooks--then the state called for furloughs; then the state cut another $800,000,” said White. “But we have a lot to be proud of.”
Butts County is one of 49 out of 180 school systems in the state to be named an Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) system. Scores on Georgia High School Graduation Tests have improved steadily at Jackson High School with over 95 percent of 11th graders passing the writing portion of the tests on their first try this fall. On November 16 the 60 years of education at the old Jackson Elementary School building was celebrated before its demolition began. Butts County was awarded a $250,000 per year grant for three years from United Way to improve early childhood education and readiness for school. The BOE is joining with Partners for Smart Growth and the Chamber of Commerce in a summit to be held in March focusing on the relationship between education in a community and its economics.