THUMBS UP to the Habersham County Airport Commission for putting the wheels in motion toward a private/public partnership to build the T-hangars at the airport.
Habersham County was ready to write a check for that project out of the American Rescue Plan funds, but Habersham Medical Center needed more urgent rescuing.
The airport is an important part of our local economy, though, and developing it will reap long-term benefits for our overall growth and prosperity.
But the last thing we need is more debt, and there are a lot of folks with money willing to invest in having a better airport. The county and its taxpayers have many greater priorities right now in an era where the cost of everything is going up.
Let’s find private money to build the hangers and then our county can gain the benefit of property rent and ad valorem taxes on the airplanes stored in the hangers while also benefiting from more fuel sales.
THUMBS SIDEWAYS to Demorest for breaking ground, if you will, on the restroom project in the park. It is better late than never, but it has taken more than two years to get the project off the ground.
It only took 13 months to build the Empire State Building with 1930s technology, but once the bathrooms are finally finished, they will be a nice addition to Demorest Springs Park.
Sadly, they will not be ready for the Fourth of July. Demorest also has a slide on the playground with a big hole in it after it was damaged by a vandal, and the city was told a replacement would not be available until September.
Can we not get a slide from somewhere? That playground is definitely well used, and it is especially so during the Fourth of July, when kids get bored and need a place to avoid bothering mom and dad while they enjoy themselves.
THUMBS DOWN to the Habersham County Tax Assessor’s Office, which has struggled to provide digest figures to the county commission on time for the last two years.
The budget cycle is the same every year. The new year starts on July 1 every year, so it should not be hard to arrange the schedule to meet that deadline annually.
If county leaders want the public’s input on the budget – and whether they do or not, it is required by law – they need to give more lead time for review and not cram it in over the final weeks of this fiscal year.
Public hearings on the budget are the next two Mondays, June 19 and 26. Let your voice be heard about what you want your money spent on.