Demorest’s annual Glorious 4th of July Celebration this year promises to be the biggest one yet, according to City Clerk Marlena Sosebee and Mayor Rick Austin. Activities for the day begin with the 5k run sponsored by the Torch. Mayor Rick Austin challenged his fellow elected officials to join him for the run at Tuesday night’s work session. Sosebee told the council that the Faith Christian dunking booth fundraiser would be in the park and would be a great way to cool off after the run. Stop by the park and give them a dunk for charity!

There are 15 craft vendors expected on Georgia Street across from Demorest Springs Park. Inside the park, Bright productions will have a trainride, moonwalk, pony rides and more. Also in the park will be three bands playing from 6pm until after the fireworks at 9:30, beginning with Jared Brooks, then Steve Bryson and ending with the John King Band sponsored by G. Ben Turnipseed Engineers. A parade of dogs available for adoption, a cake walk , a horseshoe tournament and more will make this 4th of July the best of small town living.

Food vendors for the event will be on Georgia Street in the downtown area. Vendors include Sweetbreads, Natalie Jane’s, Chicago’s and Hawg Wild as well as 12 other food vendors. A picnic area will be set up in the parking lot of the post office so families can sit and enjoy. Whistle Top Brewery has been approved as a vendor for “adult” beverages. The beverages will only be consumed in a specific area and attendees may not stroll around with a beer in hand. Id’s will be checked and Demorest City Police as well as 6 Georgia State Patrol members will be on hand for crowd safety. Mayor Rick Austin reiterated that the 4th would be a “fun, family event.”

New sponsors have joined to offset the expenses of the event. United Community Bank, Consolidated Pipe and Supply as well as Fox, Chandler, Homans, Hicks and McKinnon. Select Pest will be spraying for mosquito contol.

The fireworks show is slated to begin at 9:30pm. The location will be in the parking lot next to the Demorest Women’s Club and will be “low profile.” Officials urge those wishing to see the show to be in the downtown area. Mayor Austin noted during the work session on Tuesday that many locations for the fireworks were evaluated. The former location is no longer available as Piedmont College has grown over the years and has several membrane roofs as well as artificial turf to consider.

It will be a great show and a wonderful event. Make your plans and have a Happy 4th of July!

Demorest City Council is considering limiting days for public works’ curbside pickup of brush, leaves and other household goods. Several issues are driving the Council to consider changing the current policy. According to City Clerk, Marlena Sosebee, during some times of the year, calls for pickup of yard debris come in on a daily basis. After a storm or during the fall leaf season, numerous calls per day mean that City staff have to stop their tasks, get the truck and go remove the debris. There is no charge for the service unless it is household debris such as a sofa or appliances, and then the city simply passes on the charge from the landfill to the household.

Council is considering the following changes:

• For those with a Monday trash pickup, the City would pick up yard debris on the 1st or 2nd of the month.
• For those with a Tuesday trash pickup, the City would pick up yard debris on the 15th or 16th.
• The service would still be offered at no charge.
• If there is a call for a pickup outside of the designated days, then the City would charge $25 per pickup.

Furniture and other household debris would be placed in another truck so that there is no damage to the city garbage truck. Landfill charges for the household debris will still be passed on to the household.

Supporters of the plan say it will allow for a more orderly system of debris removal in Demorest and allow city staff to maintain a regular schedule with fewer disruptions.

The Demorest City Council is expected to vote on the proposal during its next meeting on July 7th. The meeting is scheduled for 7pm in the Demorest Municipal Building on Ivy Street.

About 300 new laws take effect in Georgia today. One that hasn’t gotten a lot of coverage will allow police wearing body cameras to record folks on private property without a warrant, prior notification or consent.

Senate Bill 94 was rewritten during the last legislative session to allow police wearing body cameras to keep recording even in situations where no one is accused of wrong doing.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a group that supports body cameras because the recordings keep officers honest, fought against this section of the bill saying it infringes on the rights of people in their own homes. They wanted an amendment that would require police to ask permission to record on private property but the bill passed and was signed by the governor without that provision.

 Gas Tax jumps 8.5 cents

While it is being widely reported that Georgia’s new gas tax formula will result in a 6 to 7 cent-per-gallon tax increase – the truth is closer to 9 cents per gallon at current prices in Habersham County.

Yesterday, the state tax on gasoline was a combination of a 4% sales tax and a 7.5 cent per gallon excise tax. At the current average price per gallon in Habersham County ($2.45), the total state tax paid per gallon under the old system would be 17.5 cents per gallon.

Today the state tax on gasoline switched to a .26 cent excise tax per gallon, an increase of 8.5 cents at the current local gas price.

The extra money you pay in taxes will go to fix state roads and highways.

Speed-Trap Penalty

Local governments will be restricted in how much money they can get from writing speeding tickets under a new law.

Starting today, city and county law enforcement agencies will have to report to the state just how much revenue they get from speeders each year.

The previous anti-speed trap law said that an agency couldn’t get more than 40% of their budget from fines for speeding up to 17 mph above the posted limit.

Under the new law, only 35% of an agency’s revenue can legally come from fines on drivers going up to 20 mph over the limit.

Any department collecting more than 35% of their total revenue from speeders could lose their right to run radar or other speed detection devices.

Other New Georgia Laws

New laws provide victims of sexual abuse more support. The statute of limitations for prosecution on sexual cases involving children is now extended in Georgia. Abusers can now be prosecuted up until the victim reaches age 25. Child abuse victims can now sue in civil court up until they turn 53.

A new law will allow you to lease solar panels for your house. It allows private companies to own the rooftop solar panels, pay the homeowner with electricity and sell the remaining energy generated to the power company. Georgia Power plans to begin a lease program right away.

Fireworks are now legal to sell and own in Georgia. Locally you can find the new commercial-grade explosives at all Walmart stores and at North Georgia Fireworks on Highway 441 in Rabun County.

Georgia now requires that bouncers in bars have to be 21. In other words, if they aren’t old enough to drink they can’t throw you out of the bar. There are new reporting requirements for alcohol serving establishments too. They now have to report all violations for serving minors or other infractions directly to the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Folks now need a $15 state permit to transport feral hogs but the new law makes hunting them easier. You can now hunt them at night and from your car or truck. The law also includes a provision forbidding the co-mingling of feral hogs with other livestock.

While other parts of Georgia have seen a rush to the alter following the legalization of gay marriage, no one in Habersham County has tied the same-sex knot.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled Friday that two men or two women have the same constitutional right to enter into a government marriage contract as a traditional couple. The court cites the fourteenth amendment which says laws must be applied equally to all citizens and, all things being equal, the government cannot grant rights to one citizen and exclude another.

The decision supersedes the 2004 amendment to the Georgia Constitution that legally defined marriage here as between one man and one woman. The same voter-approved measure also blocked the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states.

With those impediments swept away, dozens of couples throughout Georgia immediately registered with their county Probate Court to receive a marriage license but that was not the case here in Habersham County.

Acting Probate Judge Steve Campbell tells Now Habersham that no one has inquired about the process since the SCOTUS ruling and no same-sex marriage licenses have yet been issued here.

Campbell’s office issues all marriage licenses in Habersham County. The process is a simple matter of filling out forms and paying a fee.

To get a Marriage License in Habersham County you need:

Proof of identity (Picture ID)

Social Security numbers for supplement-marriage report (optional – failure to list one does not bar the validity of the supplemental report)

Divorce papers if any (must have copy of final decree)

License fee of $77 (subject to change at any time); $37 if you have had counseling (if you have had the required six hours of counseling, you must have proof before you can receive the discounted price – see Pre-marital Education section below)

Some in state government want to allow county employees to “opt out” of obeying the new law on religious grounds.

In a facebook post after the landmark SCOTUS ruling, State Senator Bill Ligon of Brunswick says Georgia needs to protect local elected officials and county workers who disagree with same-sex marriage on religious grounds. “State officials will need to determine how we protect the religious rights of government employees who in good conscience cannot perform a same-sex marriage ceremony.”  Ligon foresees “bullying” toward anyone who refuses to take part based on deeply-held religious beliefs.

While “religious freedom” legislation will likely be a hot topic in the next state legislative session in January, right now same-sex marriage is the law here and we’ve had no reports yet of anyone in Georgia who wanted a marriage license being turned away.