November 28, 2018 Page 7A
iR orter
By I d rd Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County is consider-
ing requiring business licenses.
County commissioners on Nov. 20
authorized new county manager
Jim Hedges to study the need for
county business licenses.
Hedges said he recommends
Monroe County to require busi-
ness licenses for all businesses
located in the county, adding that
licenses provide "invaluable" infor-
marion. In a letter to commission-
ers dated Oct. 30, Hedges said data
collected by UGRs Carl mson
Institute indicates Monroe County
could receive between $50,000 and
$75,000 in additional revenue from
the issuance of business licenses.
Hedges told commissioners
on Nov. 20 that implementing a
business license system would be
a major undertaking for he and
county attorney Ben Vaughn and
said he wanted to make sure com-
missioners really wanted to do it
before they went forward with it.
District 3 commissioner John
Ambrose said he supports requir-
ing business licenses, saying the
county needs to know what types
of businesses are operating within
the county. He added that chemi-
cals and other hazards can pose a
danger for county firemen/EMTs if
they go to a location in which they
are unaware of what is occurring
there. Ambrose also said out-of-
county businesseshave swindled
some Monroe County customers
and suggested requiring bonds
for businesses based outside of
Monroe County to post in order to;
do business in the county.
On the other hand, District 1
commissioner Larry Evans said
he would only support requiring
business licenses if Hedges could
determine that the requirements
would be enforceable.
Commissioners then voted 5-0
to allow Hedges to look into the
matter further.
l am alocal Monroe Countian
and you can contact me at
(478)994.9249.
:t--
By P.kl'm I: u m
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commis-
sioners gave raises on Nov.
20 to road superintendent
Junior Watts, maintenance
director Ray White and hu-
man resources director Janet
Abbott.
With the increases, Watts
will earn $72,000, White will
earn $52,000 and Abbott
will earn $50,700.11ae raises
were approved following a
30:minute closed session to
discuss personnel.
Meanwhile, at the same
meering, Monroe County
Board of Assessors chair-
man Ed Hutcheson urged
commissioners to raise
salaries within the Monroe
County Tax Assessor's Of
rice.
Hutcheson requested an
across-the-board salary
increase of a total of $45,839
for the county's six tax asses-
sots' office employees effec-
tive Jan. 1, 2019, saying their
new salaries would be more
commensurate with other
counties according to data
collected by the Georgia
Department of Community
Affairs (DCA). Hutcheson
said he made the same
request in a 2017 letter and
had never received a reply
from commissioners.
Hutcheson estimated
Monroe County has added
$75,000 in tax revenues as a
result of work chiefappmis-
er Bobby Gerhardt has done
to track every cell tower
and billboard site within
the coun Hutcheson also
noted that after a 14-year
span between 1994-2007
in which Monroe County
level of assessment fell below
the 38 percent threshold 10
times, the county tax asses-
sor's office has not missed
its 38 percent goal a single
time since 2008. He said as
a result Monroe Countylost
an estimated $20 million in
revenue from public utilities
during the 14-year span
from 1994-2007.
Hutcheson said, "We have
wonderful people in the
5 Years in a row we
have provided stuffed
animals for senior
citizens of Pruitt
Heath-Monroe, Hwy 42
N in Forsyth. I am
accepting donations
now. Your generous
donation of.$20 (or a
gift in any amount) will
make a difference in
the lives of these
precious residents at
the nursing home.
office that are doing a great
job"
Hutcheson said with
just six employees assess-
ing Monroe County's $3.6
billion tax digest, Monroe
County's assessor's office
has fewer employees than
several nearby counties,
induding Butts, Jones and
Peach, despite those coun-
ties having much smaller
digests. Hutcheson said the
last countywide revaluation
was a decade ago in 2008
but said the tax assessor's
office now has pictometry
software that allows for
comparisons between the
appearance of properties
Elaine Gilbert holds the cute,
cuddly "Rory the Lion"55
in 2008 and today. Saying
the assessor's office needs a
full-time employee to oper-
ate the pictometry software,
Hutcheson also asked com-
missioners to hire a seventh
employee at a startng salary
of $25,880 to serve as an ap-
praisal technician.
District 1 commissioner
Larry Evans commended
Hutcheson for his work, say-
ing he treats his unpaid as-
sessor's board chair position
as if it's "a full-time job"
Evans said of Hutcheson:
"He wants to see that Mon-
roe County gets every dollar
that's due to Monroe County
in taxes. And I want to tell
you I appredate it."
Despite Evans' praise,
commissioners took no
action on Hutcheson's
request at the Nov. 20
meeting. Commissioners
are expected to make final
2019 budget decisions next
month.
Close your loan or after November and have
no payment due until 2019
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