It is my hope that the property tax-paying citizens of Hall County will look very closely at what the commissioners are trying to do.
Hall County doesn't need to raise taxes. It needs to implement user fees to cover any budget shortfalls. Shortfalls, incidentally, largely resulting from ridiculous expenditures such as our former county commissions push to buy the old Liberty Mutual complex or build an unneeded community center near my own North Hall home.
Kudos to the times for their well-deserved awards at the Georgia Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Congratulations to reporter Ashley Fielding and photographer Sara Guevara for their awards for the project "The River's Reach." This eight-part series humanized the people impacted by the Chattahoochee River from Helen down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Thank you for pointing out that pro football is big bucks. The unmentioned fact is this is a classic case of owners vs. workers. In my experience, when workers start telling me what to do with my business, it is time for the workers to move on. I am sure the NFL owners can do the same and the money machine will continue on.
To balance the 2012 Hall County budget requires both tax increases and spending cuts. We all know that in hard economic times, both tax increases and spending cuts are painful. How should we think about the painful trade-offs?
I read constantly about the budget crisis in Hall County. It is the same in almost all of Georgia's 159 counties. Commissioners have suggested department budget cuts, facility closings, layoffs and almost every idea one can conceive except the need to consolidate and eliminate duplications of services.
This week, with Father's Day approaching, I am recognizing the important role that fathers and parents play and their responsibilities in guiding and instructing their children.
It is funny how no one has pointed out the fact that the Hall County commission has not said that it won't raise taxes even if massive cuts are made. I agree with Nathan Reed's earlier letter that the commission has already decided on a tax increase whether we like it or not.
I couldn't get the front page picture that came out in the Friday paper off my mind, and what the picture itself said to me. The picture showed Ashley Bell and Billy Powell out among the people attending the hearing concerning the proposed tax increase for Hall County.
I have to say that I am very disappointed in some of our county employees for the way they acted in last week's meeting on the county budget. I think that every single one of them who booed Jack Waldrip when he spoke should call him at his company and apologize to him acting that way toward him.
The Board of Commissioners' public budget hearing at the Georgia Mountains Center was a fiasco. Though there was a great turnout, but inadequate meeting space left a large crowd outside. I was one of the lucky ones that was able to slip in after the meeting began.
I wonder if Adrian Mixson is being honest regarding closing the Clermont Library or if he is trying to get revenge. Everyone knows of the controversy regarding the building of the library on Nopone Road. The new county commissioners, all except Craig Lutz, backed down in the end about the use of the building there.
It appears that Gov. Nathan Deal's new tough immigration law will probably bankrupt Georgia peach farmers. Without immigrant labor, the future of peach pies, peach turnovers, peach preserves, peach cobblers and homemade peach ice cream is doomed. This is a direct attack on our constitutional right to freeze peaches.
Curtis Black's letter June 6 in The Times clearly displayed one of the major problems in the current county budget crisis. Many of us believe one service provided by county government is a vital need while another service is a waste.
I have listened and read a lot of opinions on the Hall County budget. But I see that people only want to cut things not important to them. If they don't have a child playing, ball, cut parks and recreation. If you don't use the public libraries, cut that.
As Memorial Day approaches, I'm reminded of a disturbing trend I've noticed over the past several years. I've been serving in the U.S. Army and the Georgia Army National Guard for more than 17 years now, and the amount of support we receive from the community is very much appreciated.
Have you ever been in a department store or grocery store and felt like you were among a bunch of wild animals? I despise parents who are controlled by their children. Who is in control? Obviously, not the adults.
For the last several years, the Lake Lanier Association and several advocates, have drafted plans of action to address issues regarding the lake's delicate balance, of its water quality and the constantly fluctuating levels, not to mention all the downstream demands made on this pristine North Georgia jewel.
State Sen. Steve Gooch has emphasized the need for more work on Second Amendment rights for Georgia citizens. He correctly states that, in 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the individuals right to keep and bear arms. If you wanted guns to be outlawed except for militia use or some version of that scenario, then your argument is lost.
The Hall County Family Connection Network is a collaboration of agencies and organizations that serve families and children in Hall County. In this capacity, we write to express our concern about the future of the public transportation system in Gainesville and Hall County.
It seems we are continually confronting a threat or threats: radical Islam, economic meltdown, Obama scare, war, etc. However, one of my greatest concerns is the lack of honesty in our leaders. Their response, unfortunately, is always an effort to mislead and cover up. If I recall correctly, this administration promised to be the most transparent in our history. It appears to me we have a trust deficit much larger than our fiscal one.
As you can imagine with a business that employs more than 100 people on Green Street, and one that has operated successfully on the street since 1967, we oppose the banning of left turns on Green Street as the only solution to Gainesville's traffic problem. It is a easy, knee-jerk public action but will only marginally affective in reducing the affect of traffic through our city.
It appears that Jim Scharnagel still doesn't understand the history of this country or what our Constitution and Bill of Rights are all about. In his recent letter, he left out possibly the most important reason for maintaining an armed citizenry, namely protection from an oppressive government.
Your article on the Teacher Keys evaluation system was accurate, but failed to discuss the critical issue; that is, is it possible to evaluate teaching using any evaluation tool regardless of its sophistication or intricacy? There are at least a few loud voices in the field of education, mine included, which reject the fundamental concept of teacher evaluation through an objective measurement device.
Our son's elementary school, Wauka Mountain Multiple Intelligences Academy, is honoring its teachers this week as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. Since this is his last year at the school, we began to reflect on all the wonderful teachers that have been a part of our lives these last six years.
Saturday night, our power went out because a tree fell on a power line near our house. This happened shortly after 11 p.m. All night, we heard Jackson Electric workers cutting the tree and working in the pouring rain. At 6 a.m., our electricity came back on.
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