Thursday during a business meeting, Commissioner Heiskell announced that she will raise county property taxes this summer by at least one mil, possibly more. (1 mil is $1 for every thousand in property value.)

Last year voters were told to renew SPLOST so she wouldn’t have to raise property taxes. With her pet project fund secured, it’s back to the business of screwing everyone over.

WQCH Radio, 03/28/14: “EXPECT WALKER COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES TO GO UP THIS YEAR. COUNTY COMMISSIONER BEBE HEISKELL SAID IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE SHE RAISED TAXES – BUT THE TIME HAS COME.

“‘IT COULD BE A MILL… MAYBE MORE’ SHE SAID. AND IF VOTERS SHOULD PASS A DEDICATED LIBRARY TAX QUESTION ON THE MAY 20th BALLOT, A NEW QUARTER-MILL TAX WILL BE ADDED FOR THAT PURPOSE, AS WELL.

“AT HER BUSINESS MEETING THURSDAY, HEISKELL SIGNED A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A NEW ‘LINE OF CREDIT’ IN THE FORM OF A TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE. ‘WE’RE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE LOW INTEREST RATES BEFORE THEY GO UP’, SHE SAID. THE LOAN INTEREST IS ZERO-POINT-78 PERCENT, AND THE LINE OF CREDIT IS NOT TO EXCEED 7.7-MILLION DOLLARS.

“HEISKELL SAID SOME COUNTY EMPLOYEES HAVE NOT HAD A RAISE IN SEVEN YEARS, AND THE COSTS OF OPERATING COUNTY GOVERNMENT CONTINUE TO RISE. HEISKELL ADDED ‘IF I DON’T RAISE TAXES THIS YEAR, THE NEXT ONE IN THIS OFFICE WILL HAVE TO.’ SHE THEN ADDED THAT SHE IS PLANNING TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AT THE END OF THE CURRENT TERM.

“THE TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE IS A SHORT-TERM LOAN THAT WILL BE PAID IN FULL, WHEN PROPERTY TAXES ARE COLLECTED AT YEAR’S-END.”

She’s told media there’s been no increase in the last ten years – that’s a lie by any definition. She raised taxes in July 2010 by half a mil. She also raised taxes in 2005, 2004, and 2002. Total increases since she took office in 2001? 2 mils. And now she needs at least an additional mil to keep the county going without these increasing annual loans.

Chattanooga Times Free Press, yesterday: “‘I haven’t raised taxes in over 10 years,’ said Heiskell. ‘Our expenses are getting higher and higher as we operate on the same amount of money. If I don’t do it, somebody else will have to.'”

Haven’t raised taxes in over ten years. WQCH from FOUR years ago:

WQCH Radio, 07/30/10: “WALKER COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS APPROVED THE PROPOSED HALF-MIL INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES, AND BY THE THIRD AND FINAL PUBLIC HEARING LAST WEEK, COMMISSIONER BEBE HEISKELL SAID CITIZENS ATTENDING HAD ‘COME TO UNDERSTAND THE NEED.’ HEISKELL SAID EVEN A COUPLE OF TEA PARTY MEMBERS ATTENDING WERE CONVINCED THAT THE COUNTY HAD DONE WHAT IT COULD – TO HOLD COSTS DOWN.”

Meanwhile Walker County has no fiscal 2014 budget, just took $4 million of property off the tax register by purchasing it with SPLOST funds, and is spending money to set up a county fair at Mountain Cove Farms, a facility which probably costs a half-mil in property taxes a year to operate with no real benefit.

The county’s annual audit for fiscal 2013 (which ended in October) should be available in the next four or five weeks. When that comes out we’ll see exactly how much Bebe’s actually done to save money vs. throwing it down a black hole. LU’s bet is on the hole…       

LaFayette leaders, on the other hand, say the city should be run like a business, since almost all of the town’s operating budget comes from selling utilities to residents.

The city’s “business” should be cutting out fat to become solvent and keep those utility rates low. Cut down to the basics.. Fire, police, road/streets. Regular recreation and pool “so the kids have something to do.” And not much else.

The biggest financial burden in the city with no proven return is the golf course, but city leaders won’t deal with it because it’d be political suicide from those deep-pocket people who actually call the shots.

Using the hundreds of thousands of dollars the golf course eats up to lower utility costs a bit would do more to bring in people and businesses than the course itself does – but in Walker County (county and city alike) it’s apparently better to throw money away, cross fingers, and make the community desirable through more wishful thinking.

Maybe that’s why the county and city are getting along so well as of late.     

Reading between the lines, authorities have determined the child kidnapping reported Sunday afternoon at Town Creek Apartments never happened.

The child apparently hid inside an open water meter box and couldn’t get the door back open. After being found, she said someone put her in the hole and police were contacted. Police had doubts but had to investigate, found nothing credible. Child was examined with no injuries related to her story found. There was no kidnapping.

Around noon on Monday, DFCS took the child and two siblings into foster care. That action wasn’t related directly to what happened, but resulted from DFCS checking into the girl’s family situation as a result of her claims.

LPD did their job here and followed protocol by calling in the GBI. The only place where they can be faulted is in not releasing a statement to the community earlier to calm people down and head off some of the false stories that started circulating, on social media and elsewhere.

Channel 9 and Channel 12 both reported similar stories blaming social media for getting the community stirred up, but some speculation and fear could have been headed off if officials had made a statement earlier.         

The latest wild, raucous party at Cherokee Farms over the weekend devolved into a drunken, stoned mess – as usual. At least one underage attendee of “MasqueRAVE 2014” ended up so drunk those around him thought he had died.

Violence, public intoxication, and people stoned to the point of needing medical care: more “progress” LaFayette doesn’t need – although nobody stole any busses or vandalized a church this time.

Even some guests at the event began asking why local law enforcement won’t put a stop to parties at Smokey Caldwell’s farm – a question also being asked by those who live around the glorified wannabe Yasgur’s Farm.

Supporters of Sheriff Wilson should ask him why he and his deputies who provide paid “security” for these events continue to turn a blind eye to what goes on out there.       

An unexpected, somewhat heavy (but quick) snow fell on Walker County yesterday. For once the snowfall did not result in any significant traffic issues, power outages, or school cancellations.

School WILL be cancelled all next week — for Spring Break, not winter weather.         

Multiple, multiple questions/reports have been sent in about a child kidnapping Sunday night in LaFayette. Nothing has been officially released and details are very thin so far.

Per best sources, an 8-year-old girl was snatched up from Town Creek Apartments on Cooper St. She was found nearby about an hour later, alive, possibly tied up or trapped inside a sewer opening, and was taken to a hospital. (Cooper St. is off Duke behind the old library location.)

Suspect may have been ID’d but not arrested yet, independent reports of helicopters spotlighting people walking around after dark outside the city which indicates law enforcement is hunting someone.

Latest on this as details develop on LU Facebook or Twitter.   

Music On The Square has closed as an ongoing business, but the annual music festival of the same name will continue. This year MOTS will be held in downtown LaFayette on May 17th with the biggest headliner yet: Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives.

Clear your calendar.   

This question about liquor will be presented to Walker County voters in May.

Measure is supposed to be about legalizing hard drinks in restaurants and allowing Sunday alcohol sales, but looks like the Sunday part is off the table, and wouldn’t necessarily lead to hard drinks in restaurants – only give the “governing authority” (ie, Commissioner Heiskell) authority to regulate them.

Cities would still have their own rules; 99% of restaurants in the county that would want to sell liquor are inside one of the cities. This would also do nothing to put packaged liquor in stores. It’s only so the county can serve hard drinks at Mountain Cove Farms. Which might be OK, but don’t fooled into thinking it’s about anything else.   

This vertical takeoff/landing aircraft was spotted flying around LaFayette last Friday.

Video shows it landing at Barwick-LaFayette airport. No word so far why the plane has been in the area, but it could be related to military training.     

Fire over the weekend at a Housing Authority apartment:

WQCH Radio, 03/18/14: “TWO LAFAYETTE POLICE OFFICERS WERE THE FIRST RESPONDERS TO ARRIVE AT A FIRE CALL EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND IMMEDIATELY PUT THEMSELVES IN ‘HARM’S WAY.

“WHEN OFFICERS ARRIVED AT 115 CHARLES HENRY CIRCLE, THEY SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE KITCHEN OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY DUPLEX. AS THEY ENTERED, THEY SAW THAT THE FLAMES HAD SPREAD TO THE KITCHEN CABINETS AND CEILING.

“USING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, CORPORAL DUSTY CLIFT AND PATROLMAN RYAN WILSON, PUT THE FIRE OUT BUT BOTH SUFFERED SMOKE INHALATION. THEY WERE CHECKED BY PARAMEDICS AT THE SCENE, AND RELEASED. THE FEMALE OCCUPANT OF THE APARTMENT WAS UNHURT.

Neighbors say the fire was caused by an unwatched pan left on the apartment stove.   

On May 20th, Walker County voters will be presented with two local ballot questions. One of those will deal with charging a new .25 mil property tax to support libraries.

The library tax results from Commissioner Heiskell’s refusal to adequately fund libraries out of the county’s general fund, instead diverting money to her pet projects.

If voters choose YES then they’ll start paying an extra $.25 per every thousand dollars of property they own, or $25 more a year for a $100k home. If voters choose no, the Commissioner will claim voters don’t want libraries and defund them further, likely resulting in at least one branch being closed.

Taxpayers lose either way – higher taxes or no libraries. The Commissioner wins no matter what; yes or no, the money currently going to libraries from the county’s general fund will end up going elsewhere else, likely to something ridiculous.

(Notice Commissioner Heiskell isn’t putting out any ballot questions regarding Mountain Cove Farms.. She only cares what voters want when she knows the outcome in advance or can benefit regardless of what citizens choose.)   

Incident at Wells-Fargo bank parking lot Monday morning leads to “terroristic threats” arrest.   

Flush with cash from SPLOST bonds, Walker County is preparing to spend $1.7 million to build another unstaffed, locked fire station and gym in the middle of nowhere.

The West Armuchee Community Center in Villanow, shown above, will be duplicated in Kensington not too far from Mountain Cove Farms.

WQCH Radio, 03/14/14: “VOTERS IN WALKER COUNTY APPROVED A RENEWAL OF THE SPLOST TAX LAST NOVEMBER, AND ONE OF THE BIG PROJECTS IS ABOUT TO GET UNDERWAY. IT’S A 1.7-MILLION DOLLAR COMMUNITY CENTER, FIRE HALL AND EMERGENCY SHELTER ON WEST COVE ROAD AT THE FOOT OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.

“COUNTY COORDINATOR DAVID ASHBURN SAID THAT WITH JUST A FEW UPDATES, THEY’LL BE USING THE SAME PLAN THAT WAS USED IN BUILDING THE ARMUCHEE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER AT VILLANOW. ‘WE’RE SAVING MONEY BY KEEPING THE ARCHITECT FEES DOWN’, ASHBURN SAID, ADDING THAT THE ENGINEERING FOR THE PROJECT IS NOW MOVING FORWARD.

“THE EXISTING COMMUNITY CENTER BUILDING WILL BE TORN DOWN AND THE NEW CENTER WILL BE BUILT ON THE SAME SITE, 5423 WEST COVE ROAD.”

Promotional material from before last year’s SPLOST vote fails to mention anything about spending $1.7 million for a fire station and community center in a community with a few hundred residents that already has both of those things in place.

Paved roads? Garbage service in the county? Upgrade the animal shelter? Water to rural areas that don’t have it now? Finish the library? Nope! Priorities.

Supporters of the project say it will vastly improve the Kensington area, citing promises of various services the county will provide once it opens. That’s similar to what Villanow residents were led to believe too: residents there were told via junk-mail they would have a building for the entire community to use, with movie nights, people who would mow widows’ grass for free, a local Sheriff Office, and a lot of other things that never happened, and never were going to.

Nobody mentioned the keys to this Taj Mahal would be turned over to the Commissioner’s friends and used primarily for their own purposes and opened to the community only for a fee.

Today most people in Villanow would trade the empty, locked mansion for a couple of free community garbage dumpsters, repaired roads, or the county water service they’ve been promised for a decade. A few years from now people in Kensington will likely feel the same way about their own stacked-stone waste of money.     

A house fire late Saturday night in Rock Spring destroyed a home on Van Dell Drive.

A page has been set up to raise $1,000 for the now-homeless Wheat family.