In other business
Hall may increase fees for out-of-county pets
The Board of Commissioners approved raising the fee at the Hall County Animal Shelter for out-of-county pets.
The new fee for people from outside Hall County who turn animals in to the animal shelter will be $30 per animal.
Animal Control Director Mike Ledford said it is necessary to raise the fee from $10 so the county does not lose money by housing and vaccinating the animals.
“We’re not covering our costs with the $10 fee,” Ledford said.
The cost just to vaccinate an adult dog is $17 and a little more than $10 for a cat, he said.
The commissioners raised concerns that if the price is too high for people outside the county, they may abandon the animals rather than turn them in to the shelter.
The commission will continue to monitor the situation and may be able to reduce the prices if surrounding counties are willing to partner with Hall County.
There is no cost for Hall County residents to turn animals over to the shelter.
The shelter, which opened Oct. 15, now houses 201 animals and has had seven adopted.
Melissa Weinman
The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to pay a local real estate executive to analyze county sales tax revenues.
Chairman Tom Oliver recommended the commission approve a $14,500 contract for Norton Agency President Frank Norton Jr. to conduct the study.
“I’d like to have Frank Norton (Jr.) do a tax study and create a contract for him to go in and do some research on sales tax that we anticipate is not coming to us from the state,” Oliver said. “Personally I feel he has the technology and resources to look into this.”
Assistant County Administrator Phil Sutton said the study aims to answer three main questions: What is the economic activity of retail establishments located within the borders of Hall county for 2007, 2008 and 2009 base years? What types of revenue are produced by these tax-paying units, extrapolating data in order to produce total revenues by market sector if possible? And how does this projected revenue compare with the actual distribution of sales tax Hall County is receiving from the state of Georgia?
“It’s an analytical look at what we’re expecting retail to produce and what we’re actually receiving,” Sutton said. County officials believe the current system of sales tax distribution — in which businesses send tax money to the Department of Revenue, which then sends the counties a check for their portion — may be short-changing local governments.
Hall County is currently one of three counties in the state working with the Department of Revenue to analyze records in an attempt to determine if the counties are getting their correct allocation of sales tax revenues.
“The Revenue Department has given us their records and we’re comparing them to our business license records,” Sutton said. “We are finding a very large discrepancy.”
Business License Director Susan Rector has been working to collect business license fees after Department of Revenue records showed hundreds of businesses were operating without a license. She said she deposited $9,200 Friday from businesses that have now come into compliance with county code.
“It was discovered there were 674 businesses that were reporting sales tax that do not have a business license,” said Commissioner Billy Powell.
Oliver said the study will be paid for using money from the county’s general fund. The $14,500 cost will be split with the city of Gainesville, the Gainesville City School Board and the Hall County School Board.
“I think it’s a great investment,” Oliver said.