CITY, COUNTY

SEEK COMPROMISE AS ‘LOST’ DEADLINE LOOMS

LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX EXPIRES DEC. 31

By FRANK SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Tift County and Tifton city officials are working on a compromise to continue the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) before it expires Dec. 31, which could prompt substantial increases in local property taxes and/or significantly reduced services.

Officials are tight-lipped as behind-the-scene negotiations are underway. When contacted Thursday about the status of LOST, Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith said, “I can’t comment at this point."

Tift County Commission Chairman Tony McBrayer told the Tifton Grapevine that "negotiations are currently ongoing, and we are still hopeful of reaching a satisfactory resolution for all of our citizens."

Every 10 years, Georgia law requires cities and their counties to agree to Local Option Sales Tax distributions following the new Census, taking into account service delivery strategies. In Tifton and Tift County, much of the LOST revenue comes from spending by outside visitors. That revenue helps reduce property taxes for local homeowners and business owners.

If a new LOST distribution schedule is not approved by all parties before the end of the year, the Local Option Sales Tax expires, which city officials say would cause local taxes to rise significantly.

The county has floated the idea of seeking a Homestead Option Sales Tax or “HOST" if LOST expires. With a HOST, a one-cent sales tax is collected throughout the county, and it can be used to reduce property taxes for homeowners but not for business owners. Critics say a HOST would drive businesses to relocate outside the city and county, and would discourage new businesses from locating here.

For the past six months, the City of Tifton and Tift County have waged a war of words over renewing LOST. The actual distribution of LOST revenue is not the sticking point – city and county officials are tentatively in agreement to keep the distributions at current levels.

Instead, there have been disagreements over ending a pending unrelated lawsuit between the parties and the city giving up control of its water-sewer system to an independent water authority composed of city and county representatives.

CITY SHOULD IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT CRIME

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

In this week’s MidWeek Edition of the Tifton Grapevine, we published the story of a woman’s experience with two young men who shot at her in Fulwood Park one recent evening.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, was sitting in her car after walking her dog. She was facing the Christmas decorations when she was flanked on both sides by young men motioning for her to lower her windows. Instead, she started her car and put it in reverse. One of them pulled a gun and fired it point blank at her through the glass front passenger window.

She was leaning forward, so the bullet shot through her coat, grazed the front seat where her left shoulder would normally have been, and entered the pillar where the shoulder restraint comes out. The two men took off on foot, and she drove to Tift Regional Medical Center.

I just heard her story recounted all over again as she told it to Hayward Fowler of the FUN Channel. As Fowler said, she is blessed to be alive. She literally dodged a bullet. She spoke of her faith, her belief in a guardian angel, and a prayer for protection that she prays every morning.

She has a story to tell but more than that, she feels she has a reason to be alive. She has a testimony of courage, and she emphasizes that she is not afraid to come to the park. She does feel like she has PTSD, mostly when she stands near glass, like she’s afraid it will explode next to her. And she has ringing in her ears.

When first listening to her story and knowing I would write it, I was afraid that the result would be a total falling off of families visiting the Christmas lights and decorations in the park that our community loves. I was glad to see last evening that families are still coming to Fulwood to enjoy the Christmas lights.

I would hope, however, that there will be a longer-lasting repercussion, that streetlights that are burned out are replaced, that video cameras in the park will have better quality, that a police presence will increase, perhaps, with a designated police officer walking on foot around the park in the early, dark, winter hours as visitors are walking their dogs and enjoying the season.

My new friend, the woman who was shot at, says she believes in getting out in nature, in going barefoot on the grass. She walks around her neighborhood, but she also enjoys bringing her dog to Fulwood Park while it is open, and frankly, so do I.

I agree with her that this is our community’s park, and we are not going to give it away to fear and criminals. I am starting a Fulwood Park Crime Watch group on Facebook for those of us who enjoy this park, who want to feel free and safe to visit when we and our pets desire. We can share information about anyone who makes us feel uncomfortable there. 

We also need to hear from our city when there is a real and present danger, such as citizens being shot at while visiting Fulwood Park. I emailed the mayor, the members of City Council, and the acting city manager, asking if they had known about the shooting soon after it happened, a full three weeks ago now.

No one answered that question. The Tifton Grapevine only heard about it because the victim approached us, wanting to alert the public to be aware.

“It is unfortunate that our community no longer has a reporter and daily news publications which can keep the citizens informed, particularly concerning criminal activity in the city,” Mayor Julie Smith responded.

“I think at this point in time many people view the Grapevine to see what’s going on in our community, which I think has proven to be a great source of information for our citizens. I am confident that Chief (Steve) Hyman would be happy to share what information he can about what’s going on from the standpoint of criminal activity.

"Perhaps the Grapevine could set up a line of communication with the PD (police department) so you would have that information available when you post the Grapevine. I’m simply not aware of anything the city can do unless we consider posting such incidents on our Facebook page.”

Yes, no one was physically harmed in this shooting incident. But an innocent woman could have been killed. It could have been any one of us.

Is it the city’s responsibility to inform its citizens when such serious incidents occur, which is a matter of public safety, or is it up to the news media to uncover these incidents?

We wish we had a team of reporters to cover our community thoroughly, but there are only two of us producing the Grapevine.

We believe the city should take more responsibility in informing the public. The least that the city can do is improve communication with the residents of Tifton.

Enlist residents' help to find criminals such as these. This shooting was headed toward a bad ending. We could have been saying, “I wish we’d known this young lady better; I wish there was more we could do to stop this.”

We have a second chance. We can help stop other such occurrences by taking action to control crime in this community. We believe the community will step forward to aid the city and the police, but first, citizens need to know what threats are out there.

FITZGERALD PURPLE HURRICANE HEADS TO STATE TITLE GAME TODAY

By FRANK SAYLES JR,

Tifton Grapevine

The Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricane football team, the defending state AA champion, plays for the state title again at noon today in Atlanta.

The Purple Hurricane, which has a 20-game winning streak, defeated Fellowship Christian last week, 19-9, in the playoffs to advance.

Fitzgerald beat Thomasville in the 2021 title game to win the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state title for the first time since 1948.

Today’s game will be at noon at the Georgia State University stadium in Atlanta. All Ben Hill County schools will be closed today to allow fans to make the trip up to the state championship game.

Georgia Public Broadcasting will air the game live on GPB-TV and will stream it on GPB.org/sports.

In last weekend’s playoffs, the Irwin County High Indians lost a heartbreaker in the final two seconds, 22-21, to the Swainsboro High Tigers.

Swainsboro trailed Irwin County in the fourth quarter, 21-19. But the Tigers kicked a game-winning field goal in the final seconds to advance to the GHSA Class 1A Division I state championship.

SRTC GRADUATES MORE THAN 400 IN FALL CEREMONY

Southern Regional Technical College's (SRTC) fall commencement ceremony Wednesday recognized the accomplishments of more than 400 graduates.

The ceremony, held at SRTC-Bainbridge, included students from all SRTC sites and campuses, including Tifton, Ashburn, and Worth County.

SRTC’s graduation was a morning of awarding degrees, diplomas, and certificates to students who have completed their respective credit programs or high school equivalency credentials.

Many graduates received multiple honors as several programs include embedded certificates that students earn in the course of completing a program. In total, the college conferred 161 degrees, 91 diplomas, 133 technical certificates of credit, and 26 high school equivalency credentials over the course of the fall semester.

Jacquelyn Santoro was the commencement speaker. She is vice president and legal affairs director for Check-Mate Industries, a founding partner of Tri Crown Trucking, and owner of multiple real estate holding and development companies.

In 2020, Santoro and her family moved to Thomasville from Long Island, N.Y., to oversee the expansion of Check-Mate Industries and development of Check-Mate Manufacturing in Thomasville.

She congratulated graduates and encouraged them to continue their paths.

“You are sitting here today in spite of every excuse or reason to not succeed. You prioritized yourself, your future, your family, and your career. Keep going. Keep pushing. Don’t lose sight of where you are trying to go, who you are trying to be, and what you are trying to accomplish,” Santoro said.

"Today is just the beginning of a new journey.”

ABAC PROF RECEIVES STATEWIDE STUDENT MENTORSHIP AWARD

Dr. Hans Schmeisser, a professor of political science at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has been awarded the statewide James T. LaPlant Award for Exemplary Student Mentorship from the Georgia Political Science Association (GPSA). 

One of the four top awards presented at a recent GPSA conference, the organization said the LaPlant Award "recognizes exemplary student mentors at either the undergraduate or graduate level. The award provides recognition to a faculty member for outstanding service to students by sponsoring undergraduate student papers, student panels and/or co-authoring faculty/student collaborative papers."

Schmeisser was also elected by his peers to serve a three-year term as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) coordinator for the conference. This position allows him to cultivate undergraduate research in history and government.

"Given the high quality of my peers at GPSA, I was surprised by the award and humbled by the election to serve as SoTL coordinator,” Schmeisser said. “I am excited about the opportunities the position holds for ABAC students.” 

Schmeisser was the recipient of ABAC’s 2015 W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Teaching Excellence Award and the 2021 W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Excellence in Advising Award. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Mercer University and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida. He has been an ABAC faculty member since 2009.

~ Click Video Above ~

Sarah Odimba, center, an international student at ABAC sponsored by the Tifton Rotary Club, with her local host family: Dr. Barry Miburo, who is an ABAC professor, and his wife, Dr. Ida Lomami, a physician.

TIFTON ROTARY CLUB PROMOTES ‘PEACE THROUGH UNDERSTANDING’

IN SPONSORING INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The Tifton Rotary Club’s Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP)-sponsored student told the club Wednesday about herself and her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. 

Sarah Odimba, 23, is studying for a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. She has been at ABAC since January, and she thanked the club for sponsoring her. 

She is hosted by a married couple who are also from the Congo – Dr. Barry Miburo, a chemistry professor at ABAC, and Dr. Ida Lomami, emergency medical physician at St. Francis Medical Center in Columbus. 

Sarah said her hobbies are cooking and reading, and that she also enjoys photography and traveling. She is the third child in a family of five and comes from a rural area of her country.

Her home country, the Congo or DRC, has a population of 92.38 million people, and it has the world’s second-largest forest, after the Amazon. It is a French-speaking country, and Sarah speaks French in addition to English, Lingala, and Swahili.

Since 1946, Rotarians in Georgia have promoted "world peace through understanding" by offering scholarships to international students for one year of study in Georgia colleges and universities. Georgia Rotary Clubs sponsor students recommended by a Rotary Club in their home country. See grsp.org for more information. 

Each year, students from all over the world make friends in the United States and other nations and learn about differing cultures and lifestyles. Georgia Rotarians believe “Peace is Possible,” and with GRSP promote international goodwill through friendship and understanding.

Weekly COVID-19 data released from the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of Dec. 8:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 6,735 ...................................... TOTAL DEATHS: 172

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 8 ................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

TIFT POSITIVITY RATE - 2 weeks: 3.3% ........ CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 47

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 115

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GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,273,322......................................TOTAL GA DEATHS: 34,145

GA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 1 week: 10,486

GA DEATHS - 1 week: 76..........................................GA HOSPITALIZATIONS - 1 week: 563

YOUR GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND IN THE TIFTAREA

Today, Friday, Dec. 9, is National Christmas Card Day, celebrating the holiday practice of exchanging season’s greetings. In 1843, Sir Henry Cole in England made the first commercial Christmas card showing a family raising a toast. Prussian immigrant Louis Prang created the USA’s first Christmas card at his Boston print shop in 1875, but the practice didn’t catch on in the U.S. until 1910 when the Hall brothers opened Hallmark in Kansas City, launching the modern Christmas card with a new 4x6-inch format.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9

• State Football AA Title Game: Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricane vs. Thomson High Bulldogs, Noon, Georgia State University stadium, Atlanta
• Southwell Blood Drive, 12:30-5:30 p.m., Tifton Mall
• “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” dinner theater, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church Ministry Center, Tifton
• Christmas in the Pines Lighted Trail, 6 p.m., Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park, Cordele
• Candlelight and Restorative Yoga, 6 p.m., Syd Blackmarr Arts Center, Tifton

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

• Ashburn Christmas Parade, 10 a.m., Downtown Ashburn
• “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” dinner theater, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church Ministry Center, Tifton

THIS WEEKEND'S

YARD SALE

Yard Sale

Clothes & Household Items

7-11 a.m. Saturday, December 10

at Automated Self Storage parking lot,

1652 Carpenter Road

_________________________________________________________

TO ADVERTISE YOUR YARD SALE,

CONTACT US at 

yardsales@tiftongrapevine.com 

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

“Kimmie,” a playful female dog, is among the pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. Visit her and other pets available at the shelter on Highway 125 South between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

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