Entries by Mark Beardsley

By Mark Beardsley

In 2011, when candidates for city council talked about recreation, the discussion was all about the need for new facilities — fields and gyms — for the kids, and the development of the city’s new property off Smallwood Road.

Over the past few weeks, the focus has changed 180 degrees; all the interest in the 50-plus acres out there is for running, walking and bike trails that would be used mostly by adults.

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It may be too early to be concerned, but two months into the year, receipts of the local option sales tax (LOST) are running almost 7.5 percent below budget. The county received a $425,574 LOST distribution for February.

“Our budgeted FY 2013 goal for local option sales tax receipts is $5,575,000,” wrote Jackson County finance director Logan Propes Monday morning in an e-mail to county officials. “This is the second month’s receipts collected and allocated for 2013. As such, LOST is $69,256 or 7.45 percent below the FY 2013 budget for the period.”

Propes also announced the education local option sales tax (ELOST) distribution for March as follows: Jackson County Board of Education, $446,110; Commerce Board of Education, $90,661; and Jefferson Board of Education, $174,706.

Propes said the Jackson County Board of Commissioners received $708,811 during the period in special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) revenue.

Drivers entering Commerce from the Ila Road will soon find changes at its intersection with South Broad and South Elm streets, and for most of them, the changes should be welcome.

City manager Pete Pyrzenski got his city council’s buy-in Monday night to a Department of Transportation proposal for the modification. The main feature is that westbound motorists on Hwy. 98 (Ila Road) will no longer be able to turn left onto South Broad or South Elm streets. [Full Story »] 

The Commerce Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will hold a firearms safety course for women on Saturday, April 20.

The six—hour course will begin at 9 a.m. at Lanier Technical College in Commerce, said Commerce police chief John Gaissert, after which it will move to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office firing range at the county government complex off General Jackson Drive, Jefferson. [Full Story »] 

The Commerce Library Board approved a tentative budget of $229,018 Monday night after adding a $6,000 line item for the purchase of new materials.

The budget request is subject to review by city manager Pete Pyrzenski, finance director James Wascher and the Commerce City Council prior to adoption in June.

The document represents an increase of $27,171 or 13.46 percent over the current city budget.

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