Hall Commissioners call Governor's tax relief cut 'irresponsible'

GAINESVILLE - Hall County commissioners joined their chairman Thursday night in calling Governor Purdue's homestead exemption cut 'irresponsible'.

The commissioners joined Chairman Tom Oliver in signing a letter to the governor in which Oliver wrote it is 'totally irresponsible' for the Governor, Lt. Governor and state representatives not uphold their pledge of sending the Homestead Exemption back to the county.

"How could there be a thought in adding another $300 or more in property taxes to each of these homeowners who are struggling already," Oliver said.

Perdue said this week he cannot find the cash for the tax relief grants; Oliver said he hopes legislators will find the money, just over $400-million.

Commissioner Steve Gailey said he was appalled.
"People don't understand this is not next year, this is this year's budget," Gailey said. "I find it appalling to know that this Board will be faced with the decision of having to send a tax bill out to the constituents."

Gailey said it's a $2.1-million loss to Hall County and charged the state with cutting out waste to find the tax relief money.

A CELL TOWER AS A TREE

Commissioners held off approving a cell phone tower location in south Hall County off Spout Springs Road after Commissioner Bobby Banks questioned whether it was really needed.

Banks said there were already plenty of towers in the area and asked if the new one, requested by Verizon Wireless, could be disguised as a tree.

"They are making cell phone towers look like flag poles and pine trees," Banks said.

Commissioners also tabled a request to locate for a stone and rock crushing operation on West Ridge until their February 12th meeting.
Residents who came to oppose it said commissioners should have let them know it would be tabled.

DISCARDED TV HAZARD

With the analog to digital television signal conversion less than a month away on February 17th, commissioners heard a proposal from Doug Akin to set up an organized effort to safely dispose of the old sets.

Akin feared that many people might improperly disguard them and create chemical contamination.

"A lot of people will do the right thing and take them to the landfill but a lot of people will not," Akin said, adding that the TV tubes contain mercury and lead. "If you discard any of these TV's in a ditch, creek, or stream, you'll dump that mercury and it goes down to the creek, into pastures where cows are, and then into the food chain."

Akin proposed allowing residents, beginning February 28th, to bring the old sets to designated compactor sites for safe disposal at no charge.

Chairman Oliver said the Commission would take up Akin's concern at their next work session.