Archive for July, 2010

Our Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting on Wednesday, July 28, to set the county’s 2011 millage rate.

As per the Georgia Department of Revenue, “The tax rate, or millage, in each county is set annually by the board of county commissioners, or other governing authority of the taxing jurisdiction, and by the Board of Education. A tax rate of one mill represents a tax liability of one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value. The average county and municipal millage rate is 30 mills; the state millage rate in each county is 0.25 mills.”

The current millage rate in Clayton county is 35.586, which includes 11.436 mills for the general fund and 3.900 mills for the fire fund. The school millage rate is maxed out at 20.000. Some cities have their own millage rate, and residents living within those city’s limits pay that city’s millage rate PLUS the county’s millage rate.

The 2009 rates for those cities are as follows: Jonesboro, 12.343; College Park, 9.560; Riverdale, …

Continue reading Special called BOC meeting Wednesday re: 2011 millage rate »

There are candidates who could skate by without so much as a runoff since there are only two Republican challengers at the local level (District 4’s Lee Scott and District 77’s James Brown). So you may not get a second chance to vote if you don’t do so on July 20.

Voter turnout is historically low when a presidential candidate is not in the running, especially during the primaries. So, dare I say, your vote could literally make or break someone’s candidacy.

With so many candidates in the primaries, choosing can be difficult – and detrimental – if we choose wrong.  Especially at the local level – long time Clayton residents can attest to that fact.

Some helpful tools to decipher who should and should not get your vote are located right here at the AJC.  The Race for Clayton County School Board: A system in recovery is a helpful Q&A article showcasing some of our candidates for school board.

For more information on candidates in local and statewide races, you can also check out …

Continue reading Don’t put off til November what you can do on July 20! »

Thanks to Governor Sonny Perdue’s late signing of House Bill 1446, one thing that we will not be voting on come July 20 is the legislation aimed at reinstating bus service. It is also possible that by this time next year, there will be no public transportation in Clayton at all.

On Tuesday, July 13 (5:30 PM–7:00 PM) C-Tran supporters will march from the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Park and Ride in Jonesboro to the Board of Commissioners meeting. As per the web site, “The purpose of this rally is to urge the [BOC] to approve House Bill 277, allowing for a public transportation only sales tax to bring back public transportation in Clayton County.”

According to the AJC, Clayton residents will vote on whether to join MARTA in November via a non-binding straw poll. The BOC has until September 2 to approve a binding vote and if not, the state legislature would need to grant an extension.

Additionally, Xpress bus riders are facing fare increases and a looming …

Continue reading County cars, C-Tran and Xpress, oh my! »

Is Michael King doing such a good job in his district that he can claim victory already? Pretty much from day one, the District 4 school board representative has had issues, specifically ethics violations.  Nevertheless, he believes this is a “non-issue” that will not factor into his forthcoming reelection. How anyone can say or believe that any ethics violation isn’t an issue after all the CCPS drama, I don’t know.

Recently, an old lawsuit came back to haunt District 4 candidate Jewel Scott, alleging that while serving as district attorney she fired an employee who dared run for office against her husband Lee Scott, who is also a (Republican) candidate for the same District 4 commission seat.

While there are candidates who give voters pause, there are also new faces looking for voter support going into November.

With the primary elections coming up on July 20, do you already know who you’re voting for – or not voting for? Do you know where candidates in your district stand on …

Continue reading Who gets your vote on July 20? »