Many Items on Commissioners Agenda Passed

The Rabun County Board of Commissioners met yesterday in Clayton. Multiple items on the agenda were unanimously approved including a $5,400 dollar allocation by the Georgia State Patrol for new radar guns, a sign variance for the Rabun County Recreation Department, and the approval to renew two members of the recreational board.

One item was withdrawn hours before the meeting, and that was a request for property tax relief for senior citizens and the disabled.

According to County Attorney Allyn Stockton, the matter was brought to the table last month.

“The group asked the commissioners to actually call referendum election, which would be a non-binding referendum to take the results to the legislature,” Stockton said, “if they (commissioners) were in favor of what they were proposing, the legislature would act on it.”

Stockton mentioned that the method chosen by the group was not appropriate, because straw polls are illegal in Georgia. After receiving the news, the group altered their proposal.

‘What they are proposing now, is that the commissioners request the legislature to enact legislation to have the tax breaks” according to Stockton

If the commissioners send this request to the legislatures, it would require a two-thirds vote before it can become a binding referendum. The legislatures convene in January.