Monday, December 10, 2012
Gov. Nathan Deal says the tax is a barrier to attracting new manufacturing business and plans to phase it out in the new year.
Forsyth County Commissioners held a public hearing and first reading Thursday of an ordinance to collect an energy tax on manufacturers, the same tax the state is phasing out on Jan. 1 at the urging of Gov. Nathan Deal. Deal says the tax is a barrier to attracting new manufacturing business. But when state lawmakers agreed to reduce the tax by 25 percent each year for the next four years, they left the door open for local governments to make their own decision whether or not to collect the tax. Forsyth County Commissioners were quick to rush through the door, signing an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the city of Cumming two months ago to implement the tax. In order for the IGA to take effect, however, the county is required to pass…
Friday, October 26, 2012
Forsyth County Commissioners took time out from grappling over the water contract and Local Option Sales Tax with the city to approve the county's new spending plan and plans for the new courthouse.
Forsyth County Government has its 2013 spending plan and, as expected, citizens will not see a property tax increase next year. Commissioners adopted the $89.6 million General Fund budget at Thursday's meeting. The millage rate for the 2012 tax digest and 2013 budget was set on July 5 at 6.56 mils, including 4.812 for Maintenance and Operation, 1.975 for Fire Fund and .869 for Bond indebtedness. A new item in the budget this year is the Public Safety Reserve of $5,014,000 which is money withdrawn from the Sheriff's Office budget at the request of outgoing Sheriff Ted Paxton. After being defeated by former Sheriff's Office Lt. Duane Piper in last summer's Republican Primary, Paxton tossed out a challenge to Piper to live up to his campaign …
Friday, June 22, 2012
Candidates answered questions about current county issues and their plans for improvement if elected.
Tuesday's debate packed a full house at Forsyth County's Administration Building. Commissioners were given one minute per question to augment their positions on topics ranging from their ethics to their plans for reducing the county's budget. The debate, hosted by the Forsyth County Republican Party was broken down by district, allowing voters a more focused study of the candidates running for office in their district. District 5 incumbent, Jim Boff and challenger John Derucki both answered a question on when they feel it's appropriate for the commission to use the county's power of condemnation (exercising eminent domain). Derucki said he's a big advocate of owner's properties and their rights that go with that. "You're talking about …
Sunday, April 15, 2012
With the city and county water contracts set to expire next month, Forsyth County Commissioners approved three non-binding contracts Thursday.
At a March press conference, Cumming Mayor Ford Gravitt complained that Forsyth County Commissioners hadn't done their "due diligence" and that there has never been a proposal made to the City of Cumming, regarding the 25-year-old water contracts set to expire in May. That all changed Thursday when commissioners sent three proposals and an offer to purchase the city's new raw water intake on Lake Lanier across Main Street to City Hall. But, as far as the $11.4 million the city billed the county for its share of building the intake, well, the mayor probably shouldn't hold his breath. Commissioners agreed on very little during a heated, two-hour called meeting but they did agree the county doesn't owe the city a dime on that invoice. …
Monday, April 9, 2012
Forsyth County Commissioners voted 4-0 Thursday to postpone a vote on extending the water contract with the City of Cumming until April 19.
With the highly controversial water contract between Forsyth County and the City of Cumming about to expire and the threat of "drastically" higher water rates hanging over the county's head, commissioners voted Thursday to postpone a decision until October 31, well after the Republican primary. That would take some commissioners off the hot since three sitting commissioners are up for re-election on July 31. Dist. 2 Commissioner Brian Tam's motion to postpone a vote until April 19, was approved 4-0. But the issue will surface again at Tuesday's work session, when Dist. 4 Commissioner Patrick Bell says he will present a plan he believes will receive the board's approval. Bell, who was on vacation and did not attend Thursday night's meeting…
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8:10 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
Im pretty liberal and this is a dumb tax even to me. more ›