The Right to Choose

Over the past couple of months there have been hundreds of conversations regarding taxes, budgets and government spending. It seems you can’t turn on the TV without seeing somebody occupying something and really only knowing one thing for sure, they don’t like the way things are.

A few months ago the Brantley County Board of Education, at the request of the Superintendent and his staff, voted to increase their millage from 13 mills to 18 mills which is a 38% increase. There is no arguing that the State and federal government have failed in their obligation to provide educational services to our children as they shift more and more burden to the local tax payers. And perhaps the BOE should have been going up a little over the past years. Hindsight is always 20-20 as they say.

The one thing is for sure. This large increase has come at a time when people around the globe are hurting, scared and uncertain of their future. Unemployment is at all time high. The nation’s credit rating has been downgraded and economies around the world are stumbling.

Initially the BOE told the Senior Homestead property owners that were at their meeting demanding permanent and total exemption from BOE taxes that they would have to “go see the County Commission” if they wanted an exemption. In conversations with over 25 different people from over a dozen different agencies the Commission and their attorney have determined that this is not the case and in fact is not even the common practice. Just last year the Brantley County Board of Education passed a local resolution allowing for all Board of Education posts to be elected through the nonpartisan election ballot. That resolution became State law. This allows voters to cast a vote for BOE members no matter if the voter chooses the Democratic or Republican primary election process. That was a good thing. That same process can be used by the BOE to call for local legislation for tax exemptions.

The Constitution and Code Sections for the State of Georgia requires that any tax exemption from Ad Valorem property taxes be placed on a local referendum or vote of those in that taxing jurisdiction. So the proper process would be for the BOE to pass a local resolution in their meeting if they so choose to do so. This resolution would call for a binding referendum for the voters of Brantley County to have the opportunity to vote YES or NO on the BOE’s proposed exemption. The vote of citizens is final.

In closing, with all the positive things going on around the County, I hope and pray that this negativity does not totally darken the sparks of progress that we see for 2012. The BP Station is coming back online, Varns Wood products are expanding, the Southern Ionics group will bring its mining operations to Brantley, the Foodtronics group is expanding even farther than expected and there are many other potential opportunities in the works. I'd also like to personally thank all the voters for approving the SPLOST! This allows the current and future Commissions to continue making the kind of progress that has been made over the last 3 years. The good Lord has richly blessed our community and I pray He continues to do so. To Him goes the glory.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman – Brantley County Commission