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Pickens to lower rate on non school property taxes |
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Monument Road fire station to benefit higher elevations
Pickens County
Commissioner's
Update
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| By Bill Wilson
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Commissioner Rob Jones told me the county was able to lower the millage rate for the county’s portion of Pickens (non-school) property taxes. He had just returned from a workshop sponsored by the Association of County Commissioners and the Georgia Municipal Association. Attendees were there to learn about a new method of sales tax collection that would be enabled by a bill to be proposed by state Sen. Chip Rogers. The system has been used in other states. It can reduce the dispersal cycle time and the collection overhead costs.
The commissioner was open and adamant about his feelings against unnecessary debt. This led to a brief discussion of the jail cost overrun that Mr. Jones’ administration inherited at the outset of his first term. The debt has a prepayment penalty, but the funds to pay it off are drawing interest.
The Grandview fire station on Cove Road is now manned 24/7 with three additional full-time firefighters on the county payroll. I learned that this move also included the station being “signed over” to the county. Previously it was a district volunteer station. County fire chief Bob Howard is doing an excellent job according to the commissioner.
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POA Admin Notes for November 2008 |
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By Roger Klask
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Roger Klask
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General Manager
These POA Admin Notes are intended to provide general information and to give a sampling of current management topics. Your comments about the usefulness of this information are invited. Suggestions regarding alternate or additional content are welcome.
General Interest Items
The Vacation Rental Dwelling rule was adopted by the board at the November meeting. The rule is published in this edition of Smoke Signals and continues to be available on the website. The effective date is Jan. 19, 2009. An information package will be provided to owners of short term rental properties when they register. AECD, managed by Treena Parish, will handle the administrative process. More info. to follow.
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Season’s reflections |
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I hope this month’s issue of Smoke Signals finds you and your family in good health and by a warm fire. December is such a
wonderful month in Big Canoe.
Celebrating with good friends, joyous with the season and being thankful to live in such a wonderful place.
From The
HOA
President
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| By George Thurman |
There is something magic about Big Canoe this time of the year…As I walk in the late evening close to dark, the light breeze carries the familiar scent of the wood fireplaces of neighboring homes. Standing on my deck at night I realize how much brighter the stars and the moon are in the wintertime…and with no leaves on the trees, the breeze is almost silent and the air is so crisp and refreshing…it’s wintertime in Big Canoe.
The swimming pools are closed, the playfield is bare of activities, the
soccer field lies dormant, as well as the boats in the marina, all the
visitors have gone home, but yet the sounds of laughter abound from the
many parties and gatherings among friends during this wondrous time of
the year. Let us realize how fortunate we are to live here, in this
mystical mountain paradise.
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Update from the Big Canoe Company, LLC |
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Housing market is improving
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From The
POA Board
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By Stephen Langway
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The Big Canoe Company, LLC is encouraged by last month's Internet postings that Atlanta is poised to rebound as one of the top 10 residential markets as well as an article in the recent Atlanta Business Chronicle stating that there was even a slight increase in home pricing over last year based upon the report from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. And while home values may be falling nationally, they are increasing in many parts of the Atlanta market according to two separate housing price indexes.
During the third quarter of this year, the Big Canoe Building Group,
LLC closed six homes in Choctaw Village. Six completed homes are in
inventory and three homes are under construction. In addition, we now
have two new models open for viewing. As a member of Southface, the
United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and as an EarthCraft House
Certified Builder, Big Canoe Company continues to keep current with
green building technology.
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HOA Progress Report |
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From The
HOA
President
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| By George Thurman |
As anyone knows that attended the HOA annual meeting in
July, we listed three major objectives for this term. We have completed the first quarter of this
board's term and I wanted to give the members a report against objectives:
1. Membership
Information System: The MIS taskforce has completed their research and
recommendation for action to enhance our MIS data base and reduce costs. The taskforce headed up by Carl Deane, HOA VP, included members from the BC
Communication Committee, the chapel and the HOA as well as a technical
advisor.
The task force wanted to see if there was common ground for
shared data base information and found there may be some, but the HOA has far
greater need for data base manipulation and usage than any other organization
in BC. The usage of the MIS needed to
provide capability for E-blast, On-line payment of dues, tickets to events,
telephone directory information, surveys, etc.
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Community News 
