Kya Haywood, of Upson County, who co-starred in the hit comedy "The Campaign," spoke to The Grip about his experience working with some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities. The 10-year-old's latest movie is in theaters now.

SHEILA A. MARSHALL Staff writer; sheila@the-grip.net

Roughly 31,000 Spalding County property owners have now received revaluation notices, and a number are questioning how officials arrived at the assessed value of their homes and businesses.

According to Spalding County ManagerWilliam Wilson, a county-

wide revaluation, in which every taxable property is assessed, had not been undertaken since 1964. Such an undertaking was beyond the ability of county employees, however,which led the Board of Commissioners to approve the expenditure of$750,000 to contract with Ad Valorum Tax Appraisal and CollectionServices (ADTACS) to perform the process of assessing local property values.

Jessica Williamson Gregory, Publisher jessica@the-grip.net

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The Grip strives for accuracy in all its editorial content. If you have a question, comment, or concern about articles or photos published in The Grip, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us.

COnT, p. 2

AUG 16-30, 2012 VOL. 02 NO. 17

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Rectify cast sits down with local drama students... P.6

With an "Inside the Actors Studio" atmosphere, seven cast members and the producer of the pilot episode of Rectify sat down with local high school drama students on Friday, August 10 to answer questions regarding their careers and roles in the mini television series that has been filming in Griffin over the past few months.

SHEILA A. MARSHALL Staff writer; sheila@the-grip.net

Following the airing of an Atlanta television station's expose' regarding the city of Griffin Solid Waste Department trash collection services, its rates and residents' lack of choice in selecting an independent service provider, The Grip contacted Griffin Director of Central Services Phill Francis for a more in depth discussion on this issue. According to the report, one company was cited as providing weekly collection service for $10 per month. Francis said comparing that company's rate to the city of Griffin's is tantamount to comparing apples and oranges, as the rate reported is offered in Gwinnett County, where the government mandates residents' trash collection providers by dividing the coverage area into zones that may consist of 30,000 residences, compared to Griffin's total population of roughly 8,500.

However, the question remains -- should this service be provided by the local government or private industry?

Clearing the stink around city trash services

Existing airport to be transferred to Airport AuthorityOfficials say plans for new airport not now feasible following TSPLOST defeat

With the resounding defeat of the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) referendum, local officials have temporarily set aside plans to move forward with the proposed new Griffin-Spalding County Airport.

Property valuation procedures differ among private appraisers and county officials

Also: What to know if you want to successfully appeal your home's revaluation

P. 2 »»»

COnT, TRASH, p. 7

AIRPORT P. 7 »»»

SHEILA A. MARSHALL Staff writer; sheila@the-grip.net

The Spalding County Office of Homeland Security is nearly through with the organizational process of forming a Community Emergency Response Team, which will provide selected residents with training and equipment crucial in the aftermath of a local disaster.

“It will be basic disaster preparedness training, like basic fire suppression procedures; first aid such as patient assessment and triage, CPR, how to control bleeding and treat patients for shock and patient transport; utilities control; hazardous materials control; light search and rescue; and disaster psychology, things

Thomaston 10-year-old stars in 'The Campaign'

P. 3 »»»

Image credit: Rick Blackshear

COnT. CERT, P. 7 »»»

CERT program will provide emergency training

2 Aug 16 - 30, 2012 top stories

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Spalding County officials have only recently learned the outcome of a county-wide revaluation process that will set the tax digest for fiscal year 2012-2013, but the budget for that same time period was set more than 45 days ago.

Some may ask how officials can possibly establish a budget without first knowing how much money the local government will collect in property taxes to fund the digest. According to Spalding County Administrative Services Director Jinna Garrison, it can be done successfully with careful planning and deliberation.

“I have no idea why our fiscal year is set the way it is. That’s just the way our forefathers decided to do it,” she said of the process she referenced as backwards. “Typically, there is little to no problem. now, this last year, we set a budget, got the tax digest in September and it fell about $900,000 short, so we had to go through and make some cuts.”

Garrison explained that meetings with each department head are held beginning in February of each year, which allows the presentation of each budget request.

“We base it on a flat or zero-growth (tax) digest, with no budget increases and no increase in the millage rate because the commissioners indicated earlier in the year during their retreat that they would not like to see a tax increase,” said Spalding

SHEILA A. MARSHALL Staff writer; sheila@the-grip.net

Spalding County residents who dispute the amount of their recent property revaluation have the option of filing an appeal with the Board of Assessors, and officials are offering advice on how to best take advantage of that process.

According to Larry Griggers, a consultant with Ad Valorum Tax Appraisal and Collection Services(ADTACS), the company hired by Spalding County to conduct local revaluations,officials project 10 percent of property owners may appeal their valuations, and each will be allotted only 15 to 20 minutes for the primary appeals, and because the issue tends to be such an emotional one, that time is often misused on topics that are not even grounds for an appeal.

“They’ll say there’s no way their house has increased in value that much since last year,” Griggers said. “I’ll tell them, ‘You’re exactly right, but the value wasn’t set last year. It may have been set in 2000. Prior values also may not have been a fair representation of value. Some were undervalued and some were overvalued. Even then, saying the property value has changed is not a basis for an appeal. The only thing that can be appealed is what is the value of your home on Jan. 1, 2012. How much it changed since last year cannot be the basis for an appeal.”

He said oftentimes, homeowners are completely unaware of their home’s actual worth, and that the general belief that the real estate market is down overall is not accurate.

“One of the things I’m going to point out to them

is that most people, other than appraisers, really only know the value of their home at one time – when they purchase it,”he said. “Some areas (in the real estate market) have fared rather well. When people come in and say they’re valuation is incorrect because their house can’t be worth that much, I’m going to ask them,’How do you know that?’ We have plenty of evidence to back up what we did, and we’ll explain it.”

Griggers said a second fruitless approach many homeowners take in primary appeal process is to say they can’t afford the taxes.

He said he understands this is a very real and frightening dilemma some find themselves facing, but said that is not a valid ground to appeal the assessed value of their home.

Fiscal year budget is set prior to receiving confirmed tax digest

Larry Griggers, an ADTACS consultant,said the effort began in July 2008 and was completed in June 2012,and the result was a “virtually flat” 2012 tax digest only$64,000 under 2011 figures.

To reach that conclusion, Griggers said an appraiser physically visited 99.9 percent of the county’s taxable properties and determined the fair market value of each. Ad valorum taxes are based on 40 percent of that amount, after all applicable exemptions.

While there are some similarities between the process ADTACS appraisers utilized to assess values for the county’s tax digest and those a real estate appraiser employs to determine a property’s fair market value, stark differences also exist. This may explain why some Spalding County homeowners were shocked to discover the county’s appraised value of their home exceeded that of a private appraiser.

Carol Boggus, owner of Orchard Hill Appraisals, said her work involves a complete home inspection,potentially including attics and crawl spaces.

“Obviously, we have to inspect the house, both interior and exterior,” she said. “You’re looking to see if there’s any deferred maintenance, or damage to the home, and also for upgrades, and a lot of the value is based on the square footage and the size, condition and features

of the lot. You have to look at everything, but those are the key factors.”In contrast, Griggers said ADTACS appraisers evaluate only the property’s exterior, measuring for overall square footage and lot size.

He said there are two primary reasons they do not examine a property’s interior. Firstly, they would not be able to inspect the interior of each property, so they would rather inspect none for uniformity.

“number two, we’re the government,and that’s kind of why we broke free of England – for our freedom,”he said. “The government doesn’t have any business going in people’s homes for inspections.”

Another key difference in the two processes is the consideration of comparable home sales.

Griggers said assessments for the purpose of ad valorum valuation is conducted by mass

appraisal, which he called the nationwide standard.

This process involves the comparison of sales prices of similar homes throughout the county, regardless of location.

Referred to as the coefficient of dispersion, appraisers measure the uniformity of sales prices across the county. In Spalding, Griggers said the process was done blindly, with no property identified by owner, but rather by a parcel number, to ensure fairness.

“It has to be pretty close to 40 percent of the value,” Griggers said, adding that the complicated formula is monitored by the Georgia Department of Revenue. “It has to fall within the state’s parameters. All the standards by which the state is going to measure the (tax) digest, Spalding County passed with flying colors.”

Boggus explained that the state also has guidelines for private appraisers, who use

the fee appraisal method rather than the mass appraisal technique.

“Georgia law says you have to stay within the subdivision – you have to use sales figures from within the subdivision,” Boggus said. “That helps keep the value fair. It keeps it within the range of the neighborhood.”

She said there are circumstances that would allow a private appraiser to utilize home sales outside the subdivision, such as the home being significantly larger or smaller than others or it being in much better or worse condition, but the goal is to work with home sales data in as close proximity to the home in review as possible.

“You can go outside the neighborhood,but you should still use at least two from there to bracket the value,” she said. “It’s only going to be worth as much as that neighborhood is going to allow it to be.” Ω

officials say the differences between the two processes can be the cause of value discrepancies

appraisals v. revaluation FROM PAGE ONE

SHEILA A. MARSHALL Staff writer; sheila@the-grip.net

County Manager William Wilson. “We will actually set the millage rate probably in September. We are waiting until the 45-days (for appeals) is over before we do that.”

Garrison said budget talks between county officials and department heads is such a tedious process because “they start with zero and have to justify everything that’s in their budget line-by-line.”

She said they are not allowed to come to the table with an open-ended request for any increases over the previous year’s budget, such as five percent more for office supplies. Instead, they would have to specify what each expenditure represented.

“We put the budget together and present it to the commissioners,” she said. “They give us input and we make the changes. We do this based on what we think the tax digest will be. All that time, we’re in

discussions with the chief assessor.”

Earlier in the revaluation process, officials of the Tax Assessor’s Office projected a decreased tax digest – at one time estimating as much as a 30 percent loss before lowering that estimate to five to seven percent.

Wilson said the explanation for the level digest in light of the grim predictions is that earlier estimates were based on incomplete data, as not all commercial and industrial properties had been assessed.

“now, we’ve been told it’s going to remain level. There’s no huge increase and there’s no huge decrease, but depending on what happens with the appeals, it could cause it to go down,” Garrison said. “If it goes down, the commissioners will have to decide how to balance the budget. They’ll have to decide if they’re going to cut services, raise taxes or a combination of both.” Ω

How to have a successful home revaluation appeal

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In your latest project, you play Dylan Huggins in The Campaign. What was your reaction when you learned you had gotten the role?Very excited! I literally jumped up and down and screamed uncontrollably!

How many rounds of auditions were you involved in?My first audition was the first week of October 2011.After my first taped audition, I went to one producer/director callback in new Orleans and booked the job the next day.

When did you begin filming, and where did that take place?I began filming the week before Thanksgiving 2011 and filmed through February in new Orleans, Louisiana.

Was it difficult to be gone for so long?I loved new Orleans and it is a second home to me now. Mom and Dad found plenty of kid friendly things to occupy my free time. I met a lot of interesting friends that I plan to visit for years to come.

Do you ever get homesick?Mom and Dad took turns staying with me, but yes, sometimes I missed the one who wasn't there, and I missed my brothers who were in school here. My brothers visited me on set several times though. My on-set mom, Sarah Baker, also helped. She was very loving and sweet to me and she laughed at my jokes just like my mom does. She gave great hugs, also.

What do you miss the most while you're away?My pet turtle, Little Man James.

As for the filming process, what is life like on the movie set? How long do you work each day?I do school first each day,

and then on to filming. Life on set is fun! In between scenes, I would play with Zach Galafiniakis. One day, the director, Jay Roach, taught me a game he played with his brother as a child. We had plenty of time to goof off and have fun. I also had long chats with my good friend, Dylan McDermott both on set and off. He is a special friend and mentor to me. Lots of laughing went on at work.

What is the atmosphere like? I know you're all professionals and you're there to do a job, but it seems like it would also be a lot of fun. Is that the way it actually is?Yes I had loads of fun. I had an awesome director and big stars who made sure the kids enjoyed their time on and off set. If you watch the blue ray and the outtakes, you will see how much fun we had!

Speaking of some of your costars, what is it like to work with some of Hollywood's biggest actors?

They are just normal people. They do their job, then we all laugh about it. They were just as nice when I would run into them in public off work. Zach even let me call him Dad in public.

So, you felt really comfortable around them?Totally, but I've never met a stranger yet. I treat everyone the same, no matter what they have or haven't accomplished. That's the way to make friends.

How did they react towards you?They laughed at my jokes and played around with me. Dylan was my gym buddy. We went to the gym together most nights. He gave my parents some good advice about my career, and I taught him how to “Dougie.” I still talk to them via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and Skype.

You were in Hollywood last week for the premiere. How did you feel about walking the red

carpet? Was it as exciting as it seems it would be?YES! I still don't know how all those fans knew my name! Savvi formal wear hooked me up with a sharp tux to pose in. I loved goofing off on the red carpet with Zach and Sarah (mom and dad) and Will Ferrell. Photos on the internet show the fun we had. I love my photo of me and Dylan on the red carpet.

How did you react to seeing the movie for the first time?I laughed and laughed! It is incredible to see your own name roll in the credits so close to the top!

So, you do want to continue acting?Yes! I love my job. Some days I'm paid to be good, some days I'm paid to be bad and some days I'm paid to have a handsome face or hands. My future goal is to become a marine biologist and work for the Discovery channel.

Do you think you'll be auditioning for new roles any time soon?I'm always auditioning. I audition for hundreds of roles, and I'm lucky enough to book some of them. I have an excellent agent in Atlanta and I just signed with an L.A. agent and manager, so I'm sure they plan to put me back to doing what I love. I have lots of friends I see at auditions and classes, and we're friends, not competitors for a role.

This would be a really big deal for anyone, but especially for someone who's only 10-years-old. Do you think you're a star now?I'm not a star. I'm just a kid having a lot of fun! I'm thankful that my parents allow me to do what I love by driving me all over the U.S. Ω

Kya Haywood, of Upson County, is seen on the red carpet with a number of the stars of the hit comedy The Campaign prior to its Hollywood premier.

Local young actor stars in blockbuster movie, The Campaign

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Schools are back in session. Students are groaning and parents are rejoicing as schools reopen for another year of helpful instruction. Education is the single most important thing a young person must accomplish, for the lack of it leads to economic slavery.

Aspects of my practice are seasonal and predictable. One of the things I look for at this time of year is for a young person to be brought to the clinic with thoracic spine and shoulder pain within the first two months of classes. These are not athletes as a rule, and we did not see these injuries in such numbers until the last few years. What’s happening?

Some schools have removed lockers, which means that students have to carry their books from class to class and back and forth from school to home (assuming, of course, that they are studying!). Many students will be carrying their books on their backs in backpacks.

Dr. Scott Bautch, a colleague of mine from the American Chiropractic Association, recently quoted a study that was done in Italy on this topic. The authors of this study found that the average student is carrying the equivalent of a 39-pound weight for the average adult man, or a 29-pound weight for the average adult woman. This changes the curves in the spine, resulting in back pain complaints for 60 percent of the children in this study. A French study done as a follow-up notes

that the longer the children carry these backpacks, the longer it takes for the natural spinal curves to recover.

Here are some tips that might help to cope with the problem.

First, the backpack should not weigh more than 10 percent of the body weight of the carrier. Ladies, this applies as well! A backpack that is heavier will change the curve of the thoracic spine unfavorably and cause muscle strain. See how much your child weighs and do the math.

A backpack should not hang more than 4 inches below the waist. If it hangs lower than that, there is a natural tendency to lean forward while walking, adding additional strain to the back. You can think of this adaptation as just the opposite of what happens with pregnancy, in which the weight is in front of the body and the woman leans backward accommodate it.

Look for a backpack that has individual compartments so

that sharp, pointy objects can be located away from your child’s back. Heavy books should also be placed so that they do not rub on the child back as he or she walks. Bigger is not better in this case, as a larger backpack invites more cargo.

Take a look at how your child wears the backpack. Urge them to use both shoulder straps because an asymmetric load will be harmful to the back and shoulders. Shoulder straps should be padded for comfort. Look also at the width of the straps. Wider straps distribute the weight of the backpack over a larger area, making it easier to carry.

If your child must carry significant amounts of weight, a rolling pack is ideal. This offloads the spine as the weight is carried on wheels like the carry-on bag I take on the airplane when I travel. Unfortunately, many schools disallow these rolling bags because some administrators feel that these bags clog the traffic in the hallways. If you have an 80 pound child who is carrying 30 pounds of books, however, you should have a strong case for appeal of this policy.

If your child is having back pain, it is a red flag and should be checked out. I am here to help you if you need it.

This and other articles can be found at www.IrisCityChiro.com. Ω

Bearing the burden of education: School backpacks

DR. BOB HAYDEN DC, PhD, FICC

DUSTY TAKLE

Louisa Fletcher Tarkington wrote in “The Land of Beginning Again”:

I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning Again Where all of our mistakes, and all of our heartaches, And all of our poor, selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door And never be put on again.

I’ve heard some people claim they regret nothing, because it’s made them who they are today. I understand this declaration, but I don’t always buy it. I certainly have regrets. I think we all do. I have had days where I wished I could drop my shabby old coat at the door and leave it there.

We all have had days where we wished we could have a do-over. We know we can’t. So, we beat ourselves up for the hurtful remark, the unnecessary distraction, the burst of anger, the procrastination, or that addiction we can’t seem to kick. We let guilt cover us like a wet blanket. We confuse God for some wrathful, father-figure watching over our transgressions with a big stick. We make really big, regrettable, mistakes, and we use words like “fallen from grace.”

Fall from grace. What a really warped theology. Because, we actually can’t fall from grace. Grace is not a place we live until we get ourselves into trouble. Grace is where we live every single day of our lives. Because, not a day goes by that we don’t need it. So, instead of ever falling from grace, we fall InTO grace. Into amazing arms of forgiveness. And, then, we get a brand new twenty-four the very next day.

My grandfather used to preach, “When God forgives you, He throws all of your sins into the deepest lake. Then, He puts up a ‘nO FISHInG’ sign.” In other words, He keeps no record of it.

neither should we.

We can’t erase the past. But, we can embrace today and all of its mercies and opportunities. We can choose to throw that shabby old coat of guilt out the back door and never put it on again.

We can wear His coat of mercy and grace and begin anew. Because, those mercies are new every single morning. And, He never tires of pouring them out.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Are you still wearing a shabby old coat? Ω

My shabby old coat

SUBMITTED BY AMY DUNHAM EDWARD JONES ADVISOR

Within a marriage, a man and a woman’s financial circumstances are generally pretty much equal. But if a divorce occurs, the woman’s situation tends to be somewhat more challenging than that of her ex-spouse. And that’s why, during this major life transition, you may want to meet with a professional financial advisor to go over your spending needs and your cash flow, so that you know what you absolutely need today — and how you can plan for tomorrow.

Consider these suggestions:

Create an emergency fund. Try to put six months’ to a year’s worth of living expenses in a liquid account. Once you’ve established this emergency fund, you won’t have to dip into long-term investments to pay for unexpected costs, such as an expensive car

repair, a new furnace or a large medical bill.

Contribute as much as you can afford to your retirement accounts. Even if you will eventually receive some of your ex-spouse’s retirement funds, you need to take full advantage of your own savings opportunities — because it’s pretty hard to save “too much” for retirement. If money is tight, it won’t always be easy, but contribute as much as you can to your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. At a minimum, put in enough to earn the employer’s match, if one is offered.

Rebalance your investment portfolio. If you are now investing for yourself, you’ll want to take a close look at your asset mix to make sure it is appropriate for your situation. For example, your risk tolerance may be quite different than that of your ex-spouse’s. So if you now have total control over an

investment portfolio, you need to make sure it reflects your needs and preferences. Consequently, you may need to “rebalance” your holdings.

Above all, get some help. As mentioned above, now is a good time to meet with a financial advisor. And if you don’t have much experience in managing your finances, you may even find it helpful to work with a trust company, which can collaborate with your financial provider to manage your assets and also provide a variety of other functions, including bill payment and record keeping. A trust company’s services can prove especially valuable to you and your family should you ever become incapacitated.

Unfortunately, a divorce may leave you feeling “at sea” in many areas of your life. But by following the above suggestions, you can at least help keep your financial ship in calmer waters. Ω

Financial Tips for Newly Single Women

4 Aug 16 - 30, 2012

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GRIFFIN!

Trying to make sense of my 27 percent tax assessment increase in this economy is perplexing to say the least. In my neighborhood we have 36 pieces of property ranging in size from 10 acres to just under two acres. Most of the homes have been in this neighborhood over 20 years. My property is 1.91 acres and my house is 25 years old. There are 27 properties that have houses on them. Of the 27 improved properties only two saw a decrease in their assessment. One (my next door neighbor)was reduced by 1 percent and another 3 percent. The other 25 improved properties showed increases in value from a low of 2.6 percent to a high of 41 percent. The median increase for my neighborhood is 10.5 percent.

According to Zillow real estate site, property values in my zip code, 30224, have decreased by over 50 percent the last five years. Bear in mind that properties are evaluated every five years. If that is so, this is the fifth assessment of my property. What happened over the last five years to increase my property by 27 percent? Trying to figure out what, if any, market values the assessors used is next to impossible. On the one hand my neighbor’s property decreased by 1 percent and the property on his other side increased 19.7 percent. What could they have possibly been figuring to have come up with these numbers.

The real travesty is that rather than the tax assessors justifying these ridiculous numbers to the tax payer it is our job to explain to them how they are wrong. They have explained early on that just because your property assessment is higher, that fact, in and of itself is not appealable. Really? They are saying with property values down, foreclosures throughout the county, unemployment at over 11 percent, the economy in the tank, they can just throw any numbers out there they want. So what is going on?

Well let’s see. Here is what

Chief Appraiser Tim Whalen said to the Griffin Daily news , “after exemptions are applied, the tax digest for 2012, prior to appeals, is virtually unchanged from the 2011 tax digest. The increases and decreases balance out to produce an equalized digest for Spalding County.” There you have it. It was never about fair assessments it was about maintaining the status quo. It was about self preservation. If we were to have fair assessments it would mean cuts, layoffs, furloughs, etc. throughout county government. A direct effect to the tax assessor’s office.

The city commissioners might have to curtail installment of more doggie doo stations and golf cart signs. They would all have to abandon an airport project that the taxpayers neither want nor can afford. Our elected officials would not be able to commission yet another study on who knows what. Maybe, just maybe, our elected officials would do like we do. Stop spending money they don’t have.

now having said all that, let’s take a look at some of the oddities in our tax assessment debacle. Last week a property listed to Chief Appraiser Whalen had decreased from $104,660 to $96,400. I made comments on this in the comments section of “my two cents” and on the Griffin Journal website. Lo and behold this week Mr. Whalen’s assessment has increased slightly from $104,660 to $104,941. What’s to be made of this sudden change?

Did Mr. Whalen appeal his assessment as being too low? Are property assessments so whimsical they can be changed at the stroke of a pen? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Elsewhere, City Commissioner and Airport Authority Member Dick Morrow’s home dropped from $297,427 to $227,927 (note: house listed under wife’s name). Commissioner Doug Hollberg’s home dropped

from $183,100 to $149,012. What is interesting here is the homes on both sides of him increased. Commissioner Ryan McLemore’s home decreased from $197,828 to $183,793. A house next door increased over $64,000. Did I mention the smallest increase in my neighborhood was to an attorney employed by a Spalding County Board?

now the thing here is I don’t necessarily believe these folks did their own assessment nor were involved in their own assessment. In fact, the guy in my neighborhood I would find hard to believe would be involved in any impropriety. I, however, do not rule out a sort of "taking care of our own" mentality by the tax assessors.

A simple defense would be an explanation of how they come up with their numbers. A scientific, mathematical formula anyone could look at and figure the value of their property. One lady I was in line with at the tax office said her property assessor was from Fayette County. If that’s true I would find it hard to believe he knew much about our county.

The bottom line is they throw a number on your property. If like in my case it jumps way out there I have to figure out why. They have no duty to explain to me how they derived their number. Taxation without explanation I would call it. My property is now worth more than many at the Country Club, East College Street , Maple Drive, etc. according to these folks. Yet we are all on septic tanks, no sidewalks, no garbage pickup, no golf course, no doggie do stations, etc.

I would suggest you go over to the Spalding County Georgia Board of Tax Assessors website and pull up some of the assessments. You can start with the staff. I would also look at the tax that has not been collected in this county. You could build a lot of doggie doo stations if they would collect those monies.

-- Thomas D. Thurston Jr., Griffin

I completely agree with Dan Cathy's view about traditional marriage. I really appreciate how he took a stand for the Christian faith by publicly voicing his beliefs for traditional marriage despite of all the opposition from town mayors and same sex marriage advocates. We need more people like him that will stand up and represent Christians.

While all of the liberals, gays, Muslims, atheists, pro-choice advocates, and numerous other groups are talking and demonstrating where they stand, a lot of Christians remain silent. We Christians need to take advantage of our freedom of speech, speak up, and stand up more for what we believe in. "But the people who know their God will display their strength and take action." -Daniel 11:32b (NASB) Dan Cathy really inspired me and I think he is a great example for other Christians to be bold and take a stand. Continue to show your support to Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A and "eat mor chikin!"

-- Allison Miller, Griffin

GET A GRIP :::p o l l o f t h e w e e k

Last week's poll: What are your feelings about Dan Cathy's remarks? ::: keep the religion out of my chicken

::: he was exercising free speech

::: eat more chicken

::: where's the beef?

(18 votes) 25.35%

(38 votes) 53.52%

(11 votes) 15.49%

(4 votes) 5.63% 71 total votes

Letter to the editor ::: Regarding tax assessment increase

Will you be appealing your property tax assessment?

VOTE NOW AT WWW.THE-GRIP.NET

Aug 2 - 16, 2012 5

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The Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Services Department of the national Exchange Club oversees a nationwide network of more than 75 Exchange Club Abuse Prevention Centers. These centers utilize professionally trained parent aides who work with families at risk of abuse or where abuse has occurred. To date, more than 778,400 families and 1.8 million children have been helped by Exchange Club Centers.

In order to increase the number of children and families that can be helped through the CAP fund, the Griffin Exchange Club has launched the Ocean Campaign. Just as the ocean is made up of individual drops, a fundraising campaign is made up of small, individual donations that when combined together can create a huge supply. We believe that with that ever contribution, small or large, will make a difference in the lives of people every day.

If you would like to help the Griffin Exchange Club by making donations, they can be mailed to:Griffin Exchange Club Ocean CampaignP.O. Box 351Griffin, Ga 30224

Thank you for all that you can do to help strengthen families and communities and most of all to help prevent child abuse. Because of your contributions, people’s lives are being touched.

Griffin Exchange Club launches Ocean Campaign

SUBMITTED

The Georgia nature Photographers’ Association (GnPA)—Central Region will hold a photography competition when they meet on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the J. Joel Edwards Library, 7077 South Highway 19, in Zebulon. All photographers are invited to submit images that fit the theme “Georgia’s Fauna (Animals) and Flora (Plants).” Images must be brought to the library between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

While the entries are being judged by Todd Sparger (President of GnPA), all exhibitors will attend a slideshow featuring images taken by Chris Bryson (President of the Middle Georgia Camera Club (www.mgcc.ws) in Macon) during a recent trip to Wyoming.

Then, Todd Sparger will present ribbons for the winning images. He will also speak to the attendees about GnPA.

Guidelines for the photography competition may be viewed/downloaded by visiting www.gnpa.org and then clicking on the "regions" tab and then on "upcoming speakers." Photographers of all skill levels are invited to attend the meeting, whether or not they choose to submit images for the competition.

The Central Region Chapter of the GnPA meets the third Tuesday in each month and welcomes all nature photographers. Ω

Georgia Nature Photographers' Association to hold photography competition

Rectify cast offers advice to local drama students

JESSICA GREGORYPublisher, jessica@the-grip.net

On Friday, Aug. 10, seven Rectify cast members and the producer of the pilot episode shared their stories and fielded questions from local high school drama students.

With the moral of the story being "luck," Abagail Spencer [All My Children, Mad Men] shared her "big break" story of making her audition tape with her mother, who had a

"giant VHS camera on her shoulder and a light in the other." The actors encouraged the students to be tenacious, and try to meet agents and casting directors.

"But on the renegade side of things, just start making your own movies, filming each other; being your own proliferator of work," advised Spencer.

Clayne Crawford, [24, The Glades] who portrays the main character's half

brother in the Sundance mini-series, advised against rushing to L.A., new York, or even Atlanta.

"Be a kid too, because you're never going to get this again," he said.

He spoke of the harsh realities for an actor, not knowing when the next job or gig will be. "It's really between action and cut. That's when [this job] is fun." Ω

Image Credit: Rick Blackshear

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“What we have basically decided to do since TSPLOST failed is to divert our energies to taking operational control of the airport,” said Dick Morrow, speaking as the chairman of the recently-established Airport Authority. “The city and county formed the Airport Authority to get control away from either one and under a central authority. One of the issues over the years with the 50-50 ownership is differing opinions over the operations and direction of the airport, so having a neutral authority created takes it outside of politics. That’s the theory. I think it puts it under more of

an independent business management, if you will.”

Morrow said for the immediate future, the transfer will be the primary focus of the Airport Authority, adding that it will be a very involved process.

“That will take several months because we have to transfer such things as the employees, the budget, ownership of equipment, insurance coverage and the leases of airport tenants,” he said. “Our target is to have this completed by the first of next year.”

Prior to the TSPLOST defeat, the goal had been

to spend the remainder of 2012 securing bonds to begin purchasing land to construct the proposed new airport. That will no longer be the case.

“That’s been put on hold. TSPLOST would have given us a new business airport and a profitable operation,” Morrow said. “We’re concentrating on taking control to make this one break even while we work towards other funding options to construct a business airport. We’ll deal with the new airport later. We’ve discussed a number of ideas, but nothing is realistic at this point, and of course, this terrible economy we’re in makes matters even more difficult.” Ω

For Francis, there is no doubt – residents receive unmatched quality, and therefore value, from the city of Griffin. “We provide a level of service to our customers here that I feel confident cannot be provided by private industry,” he said. “We live here; this is our community. This is what we do to contribute to the quality of life. It's not just a job for us.” Even still, Francis is familiar with the complaints of some residents who say that regardless of the quality of service, the city charges too much for something over which they have no consumer control. “We are enterprise funded – we get no taxpayer money – we are funded by operational costs. There are a lot of costs involved that people don't understand. I'm not making excuses for the (monthly) cost of $19.71 – I can justify the costs,” he said. “Can we do it for $10 a month? no. Our guys are trained; our guys are uniformed; our guys have regular safety meetings. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don't see.” But, he said what people do see is also an important fact to consider. Francis said if the city did not provide solid waste services, there would be a complete lack of uniformity in the process, with collection trucks on the roads at all different times during the week and trash cans in curbside view throughout the city at all times. Does Francis believe the service could be provided more cost-effectively by private industry? He said he is not the appropriate person to make that determination, for lack of knowledge of other companies' operational costs. “I don't know what their ancillary costs are,

if they could do it any cheaper. I can only comment on what our costs are to provide quality service and keep local people working. It seems, in this economy, we should want to keep people employed,” he said, before adding, “I think that the level of service provided by the city far outshines anything that could be provided by private industry.” He did highlight the city's mandatory recycling program as an indicator of his department's environmental and fiscal success, stating that in 2011, $259,627 was received through residential and commercial recycling, and another $47,441 was saved by diverting that waste from the landfill and avoiding tipping fees. One point of contention for many is the additional monthly fee of $6.66 that is charged for yard debris removal. One argument made against this charge is that some residents rarely, if ever, utilize this service, and therefore should not be required to pay for it. Francis said he understands the concern and is evaluating the service, including the potential use of technology that would allow collectors to quickly and easily document which residences do place yard debris curbside for pickup. “We're looking to streamline, and maybe we can revisit that,” he said. In responding further to complaints that the city's solid waste disposal should be open to competition with private industry, Francis said he strongly believes the service should remain as is.. “It's our community, and if we start cutting it up and giving pieces to people outside our state, or even our country, it's just gone forever,” he said. “I would much rather see the user fees that are generated in the city, stay in the city. With all the interest in fiscal responsibility and keeping money in our community, and with everything going on in the economy,I would rather see our money stay here.” Ω

“The appraiser is not an insensitive person. The appraiser just can’t do anything about that,” he said.“They can only set the value at what the property is worth, not the owner’s ability to pay the tax.”

Instead, he said, homeowners should come in for the appeal prepared to discuss their property, and explain why they believe its value is lower than the assessed amount.

The third common mistake

people make when appealing is to complain that local government and the school system is misusing tax dollars.

Griggers said that residents may have valid complaints regarding spending concerns, but an assessment appeal is not the proper venue for the matter to be discussed.

He pointed out that unlike income taxes and sales taxes, 100 percent of property taxes remain in the their community, and the use of this money is determined by locally

elected officials. He urged residents who are unhappy with governmental expenditures to become active by attending meetings, public hearings and voting, but reiterated that dissatisfaction with local spending habits will not result in a successful appeal.

However, Griggers did point out that there are a number of issues owners should come prepared to discuss at the time of their appeal.

“The factual characteristics of the property is what matters,” he said.

Appellants should be prepared to inform officials of any damage to their home, such as a termite infestation,foundational or roof issues, as well as issues regarding the layout of their property, including the presence of power lines or geographical features such as steep slopes that prevent full use of the total acreage.

In addition, Griggers said property owners should be prepared to discuss their

home’s square footage and address issues such as additional finished interior living spaces,including attics and basements.

“We looked at 31,000 properties and we made a lot of assumptions based on the outside of the property,because we don’t go inside. We have calibrated this system to where you can make a lot of really good assumptions, based on the outside of the house,” he said. “But, mistakes could have been made. I tell my appraisers that the guy walking in off the street may not

understand the process, but they know their property. We’re going to sit down with them, take a look at their home and make sure no errors were made. There could be incorrect footage recorded or we could have that the basement is finished when it’s unfinished. We’re going to listen to the homeowners. The whole purpose of this office is to make the process fair.” Ω

of that nature,” said Spalding County Fire Department Chief Kenny West.

The purpose of the program is to prepare residents to be self-sufficient and to care for themselves and their families in the aftermath of a disaster prior to the arrival of emergency responders.

“In some incidents, it could take a few days for first responders to reach disaster victims, and this will give people the training they need to survive until they do get there,” West said.

While CERT members will not be activated to officially serve as volunteers in conjunction with authorities following a disaster, their training may be utilized to assist their neighbors, which would allow

first responders to focus on other areas, he added.

The CERT program is a component of the Citizen Corps, a Federal Emergency Management Agency program, comprised of 10 two-hour instructional periods.West said the county is prepared to enroll 50 residents, with two training sessions, each for 25 residents. Applicants will be required to submit to a background check, and slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.Upon the successful completion of the course, CERT members will be provided with a kit containing such items as a hard hat, gloves, eye protection, a vest, do-not-enter tape and a first aid kit.“I think the biggest benefit of the CERT certification is the knowledge and training on disaster survival – teaching people how to fend for themselves,” West said. “We want to give them the knowledge and then turn them loose and let them be able to take care of themselves.” Ω

« airport, cont.

« appeal, cont.

« CERT, cont.

« trash, cont.

Aug 2 - 16, 2012 7

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