A little good news to start this weekly review. Charlie
Elliot Wildlife
Center is opening up “Wild”
summer camp opportunities! For those
that haven’t been, Charlie Elliot, located in Mansfield, is an -awesome- place for children
and adults alike. Camps are for children
from age 7 to 16, and there are day and overnight camps available. Call Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center at (770)
784-3059 or visit their website www.georgiawildlife.com/camps. From personal experience (through Scouts and
school field trips) all their programs are safe, well run, and ALL FUN!
As Newton
County Schools consider calendar options, Rockdale County Schools are planning
ahead for budget cuts. Not raising
taxes, but where they can cut their costs to stay within budgets. GO Rockdale County Schools!!! Here’s hoping for a “trickle down” effect on Newton (schools and
government in general).
Now it comes
down to “The things that make me go ‘hhhmmmm…’”
The Covington grant program
for small business is expanding.
Overseen by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the grant
expansion is being open to qualifying business’s inside Covington City Limits, as
opposed to being limited to the Central Business District. Funding for the grants is what I
question. “The council designated
$200,000 for the program, with the funds coming from the city’s MEAG trust
fund, which is made up of revenue generated by the city’s electric utility.” (Per the Newton Citizen) Hold on and back up here.
Revenue generated by the city’s electric
utility?
I know it hasn’t been long since
I read that electric rates were going up to cover Covington’s debt to Plant Vogle. Shouldn’t revenue go toward debt service before
going to business grants? Someone help me out here, ‘cause it makes me go “Hhhhhmmm…”
Newton County
commissioners are considering a millage rate increase to cover the cost of
their proposed budget due to a decrease in revenue thanks to Covid-19. See Rockdale County Schools – aren’t some
budget cuts in order? Using Covid-19 to
justify an increase sounds like a lame excuse to me. While I don’t doubt there’s been a decrease
in revenue, have they considered the savings incurred while employees worked
from home? The government buildings are
still there, but their expenses should have gone down considerably. Lower utilities (electric, water), trash
service, cleaning services, general miscellaneous products (toilet paper, paper
towels, Kleenex, hand sanitizer…), just to name a few. I’d like to see a line-by-line budget
report. I think we, the citizens, are
entitled to it. I ain’t holding my breath
though.
Early
voting begins Monday, May 18th.
GET OUT AND VOTE, FOLKS!!! Get
out and VOTE!
