Jasper County has now cashed in their $284,000 CD, and also gotten a $500,000 line of credit.  If that isn't bad enough, the CFO and County Manager as well as a majority of the BOC seem to think all they have to do is wait for the 2008 tax money to start coming in during November and December and they can "balance everything."  It just doesn't work that way. The money that will be coming in is for 2009 expenditures.

 
Please read the following article in the AJC:

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/10/01/georgia_budget_shortfall.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxmcat=13

 
The State now says they'll be almost $2 Billion short and some think more than that.  Everyone knows what has happened in the stock market over the last few weeks, and some mega banks and Wall Street giants no longer exist.  Yet, here in Jasper County our county manager and CFO don't seem to have a plan as to what we need to do to survive, and the BOC hasn't taken action to develop a plan. 

If the people are kept aware of what is going on, they can also encourage the BOC to stop spending and adopt some type of plan to keep our taxes from going up.  This is the time for leadership and action.

  
Reading the article linked above reveals that we may get two tax bills for our 2008 property taxes.  One bill will come shortly, and the next one will come in the Spring to make up for the "homestead exemption credit."   We are all used to getting about a $200 tax break on our tax bills from the State. This year the State may not fund that program and you may get a second bill from Jasper County for the difference. Look at your last year's property tax bill and you will see "taxes you saved due to the Georgia property tax relief program" (if you have a homestead exemption). That is the amount you may have to pay this year in as a "second installment" on your property taxes.
 
Jasper County has got to cut spending!  Jasper County revenues are down and we are all going to feel the pain.

 We need to work to get through these tough economic times and have an actual plan to do so!   

 Please call or email your commissioners today and ask them to take action and stop spending on anything we can do without—and please don’t spend the 2009 money!
 
District 1 Carl Pennamon cpennamon@yahoo.com 706-476-3737
District 2 Charles Hill cdavidhill@yahoo.com 706-468-8025
District 3 Jack Bernard bernard_jack@hotmail.com 706-468-5101
District 4 Greg Johnson gregann@bellsouth.net   706-468-5361
District 5 Bob Yarbrough byarbrough5dist@aol.com