LumpkinSunshine.com

Chairman Raber appears to have been surprised by the support for preserving Blackburn Park. Support has been overwhelming to preserve that wonderful property as a recreation area for all the people.

I began collecting signatures at the end of May because bids for logging the property were due the next week. Asking for signatures on a petition proved to be a great way to begin conversation about the park. Continue reading »

At a time when stimulus funds are being granted for forests of more than 100 acres and when timber prices are at a 30 year low, the Lumpkin County Commission has voted to bring in a forester to choose which trees will be cut in the magnificent Blackburn Park.

A person who is trained in managing tree farms will be paid a percentage of income received for timber he designates desirable for harvest. He makes more money if he recommends cutting the most valuable trees. Can you envision a better example of the fox guarding the hen house?

It has been very difficult to tell what is going on with this project. In public, statements are made about getting rid of beetle infested trees, yet in private, admission that those beetle damaged trees have been dead for years. They refer to Blackburn Park trees as timber needing to be managed as though the property is a tree farm; then they show a plan for trails and picnicking.

They sought back-up from County Extension Agent Greg Shepherd who said, “I support managed forestry. This is the proper course for a tract of land and what I would do if this was my property.” Continue reading »

After blasting Blackburn Park petitions and signature collectors in a recent meeting, Chairman Raber has now proposed an “I want my taxes raised” petition. And he actually got the other commissioners to vote for it during the July 16 Commission meeting.

No copy of the petition was available to the public during the meeting. Members of the audience found it very difficult to understand exactly what the commissioners were voting on. The very idea of a petition to raise taxes was just too bizarre. Continue reading »

The issue is not “Do you want a tax increase?” The issue is “What do you want cut from the budget before the millage rate is established?”

Support might be provided for a millage rate [property tax] increase if commissioners held public meetings where budget items were individually presented for public discussion. This would be quite different from the usual public hearings where a final budget summary is handed out and people are asked, “What do you have to say?” Continue reading »