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Update to list of electricians who are certified with the Corps of Engineers on Lake Hartwell to work on or install electrical systems.

To HCPOA Membership: You may recall that HCPOA has been working since 2018 at increasing or even eliminating the school property tax for seniors. All members of the BOE were at best uninterested and some just plain hostile. Their regular stance for all practical purposes was where are we going to get the money? Nevertheless we persevered with attending BOE meetings, phone calls, visits and urging the HC GOP to submit a ballot initiative for the 2020 primary (it passed by 85%). Actually that money comes from the same people, whom HCPOA is trying to assist by reducing their tax burden. The biggest breakthrough came when we engineered a meeting between Supt. Floyd, Rep. Alan Powell, and two HCPOA members. The discussion was productive and actually focused on tax issues and process. We were quite satisfied. It is probably true that Alan Powell's efforts after the meeting until the passage were the key to success. During the January BOE meeting, the resolution to raise the senior exemption on education tax $5000 was made. It was essentially an agenda item. Vote was 4-0 (Mrs. Cleary absent). There was no discussion of any sort by any board member. The comments attributed to Ms. Pierce by the Hartwell Sun were made at the meeting by Supt. Floyd. When effective, the combined BOC/BOE homestead tax exemption should reduce qualified property tax about $100 or millage rate X $5000. The problem with merely increasing the exemption by a few thousand dollars is that the relative value quickly decreases with increasing assessments; using a percent of the assessment would maintain much of the value. HCPOA will continue to focus on various tax issues in the future. Thanks for your membership. Bill Fogerty, President HCPOA

Dock electrical system inspection is now required when your dock permit is renewed. The inspection must be performed by a "State Certified Electrician". This Corps of Engineers regulation became effective March 21, 2021. Some of the names on the following list were provided by the Corps, but you must personally insure that the electrician you choose is State Certified. Some homeowners have provided names of electricians they used, and are State Certified, and the cost of their inspection. Please help us get this list complete and accurate. When you start looking for an inspector, please let us know who is and who not responsive, and cost and quality level of the inspection. We will keep the list current and publish it on a regular basis, and have copies available at our monthly meetings. ​You can bring your information to our monthly meetings or send to hcpoa1@gmail.com​​​​​ ​ State Certified Electricians Required Bruce Crittenden Hartwell, GA 706-436-5160 Dennis Holland Heating & Air Electrical, Inc. Hartwell, GA 706-246-5235 Detter Plumbing & Electric, Inc. Hartwell, GA 706-476-7353 Seymor Electrical & Air Conditioning Service, Inc. Hartwell, GA 706-283-5200 Virgil Brantley Anderson, SC 864-650-5589 Keen Electric Pelzer, SC 864-419-0989 Upstate Service Solutions Pelzer, SC 864-423-3606 Wilson Creek Electric Iva, SC 864-940-4324 Community Electric Service Anderson, SC 864-226-7461 Knights Electrical Service Anderson, SC 864-559-8444 S. S. Electrical Liberty, SC 864-843-9499 CWS Hartwell, Inc. Hartwell, GA 706-377-3291 Pro Geo Mechanical & Bath Hartwell, GA 706-436-2058 Advanced Electrical Services of Seneca Seneca, SC 864-855-9473 Little’s Electric, LLC Liberty, SC 864-843-3479 Handy Electrical Specialists Piedmont, SC 864-230-6424 M & B Electrical Service & Repair Martin, GA 706-244-6759 Earle’s Electrical Svc, Inc. Royston, GA 706-245-6925 Alexander Electric Svc Eastanollee, GA 706-779-3336 PECO Heating & Cooling Central, SC 864-639-1194 Hallman’s Plumbing Hartwell, GA 706-376-9874 Kevin Skelton Hartwell, GA 706-436-1391 Brad Fowler Anderson, SC 864-934-5813 Isom Electric Anderson, SC 864-886-2433

Join us for our next public meeting on March 21, 7pm at the Adult Learning Center below the Hart County Public Library. Open for all those interested in Hart County living. Click below for more information!

Important to know letter from Lowell Macher, Board Member of Hart County Property Owners Association. Last night at the BOC meeting, the commissioners approved subdivisions/lots that were grandfathered in before the moratorium. People have 2 weeks to submit so what ever was not approved last night will fall under the new moratorium. The biggest issue last night was the House Bill 1093 that Allan Powell is sponsoring. The Hart County Board of Commissioners is having a letter sent today from Walter Gordon opposing this legislation. I have attached the house bill. There is a senate bill on this as well. We need to call our representatives opposing this. In essence any ordinance written can be over turned by the state when it come to land use. I do not know all the issues, but its something we should all be concerned about. Feb 10, 2022 — This bill would preempt municipalities from enacting or enforcing any restrictions on residential rental agreements of over 30 days

bruary 21, 2022, Meeting Summary This was the first meeting of the year for HCPOA because the January event was snowed out. So, we rescheduled our speaker and topic and were rewarded with a very large and energized audience. Dr. Pat Daugherty, an experienced educator of some 40 years and who comes from a family of educators, was our guest speaker. Dr. Daugherty spoke about Critical Race Theory (CRT), Abolitionist Teaching and Action Civics. She explained that CRT comes out of Marxian Class Theory, and showed the evolution to todays racist rhetoric. Her documentation and examples were both impressive and comprehensive. The audience was engaged and generated much interaction. HCPOA Board President, Bill Fogerty also had an active slate of topics. He introduced two new members to the Board: Ann Perry Ayers, a Hartwell native and retired pharmacist and Lowell Macher, business owner and past Chair of the Hart County Board of Assessors. He indicated that HCPOA is developing a robust social media platform that should be available in the Spring and will enable members and new members to consider a range of issues and platforms. Candidate registration for the upcoming primary and regular elections is March 7-11. Of particular importance to HCPOA are districts two and four for both BOC and BOE. Please help us find fiscally responsible candidates for these positions. Commissioner Dorsey spoke to the importance of the BOC meeting the next night when the moratorium on developments is discussed. We also recognized Connie Hamilton, current Secretary to the HCPOA Board, for her 13 years of excellent service to the Board and our community. Pat Ranels, our VP presented her with flowers, a letter of appreciation, and a restaurant certificate for the Galley. Mr. Fogerty summarized the January vote at the Board of Education, which authorized the resolution for an addition of $5000 to the homestead exemption. This vote was the culmination of several years of attending BOE meetings, and interaction with Board members and the Superintendent. Representative Alan Powell was instrumental in the final action. He likened it to the HCPOA pushing the ball into the red zone where Powell was able to push it across the goal line. THANK YOU ALAN POWELL! The next HCPOA meeting will be March 21 , when Mike Buckel will deliver an engineer's perspective on electric vehicles, fulfilling our energy needs through “green” energy sources and concomitant infrastructure. Bring a friend.

Hart County Property Owners Most of you have received tax assessment notices for your property for 2021 taxes. 1. These notices establish the values on your property developed by the county appraisal staff. Specific details for each property will be found on the property record card available from the office. 2. The millage rates noted are those in effect for the 2020 tax year. As you can see, the total millage was 19.366 with 13.156 (67.9%) for the Board of Education and 6.21 (32%) for the Board of Commissioners. 3. The new millage rates will be established after the digest is approved by the state. The estimated tax figure comes from the new assessment and the past millage rate. 4. Last day to file an appeal is 8/5/21. If there is any way in which HCPOA can be of assistance, please contact us. Bill Fogerty, President Hart County Property Owners’ Association bfogerty2020@hartcom.net

Sept 23, 2021 Schooldigger just published its annual report and ranks Hart County Charter Schools as mediocre at best. Overall the Hart County system is ranked #97 of the 198 systems or exactly mid-point. Sadly, we have fallen 19 positions from last year. Hart school system has been around mid-pack for several years. The high school and Hartwell Elementary are ranked lowest when measured against the neighboring counties. Schooldigger publishes rankings of all public-school systems in every state. The school’s ranking is based on test scores supplied by the Georgia Department of Education. The scores are calculated on an Average Standard Score by normalizing and averaging each school’s test scores across all tests and grades. The average score is then sorted so the school with the highest score is ranked #1, the second highest #2, and so on. Schooldigger calculates school ranking based upon the Georgia Milestones Assessment Tests that include: American Literature and Composition, Algebra 1, Coordinate Algebra, Biology, United States History, and Physical Science. Neighboring Franklin County is ranked #54 and has improved 56 positions. All the Franklin County schools moved very significantly up the rankings, all in triple digits. Franklin County is doing something right. Neighboring Elbert County is ranked #126, but improved 41 positions. The middle school is our star with a ranking of #194 of 540 middle schools improving 56 positions. North Hart Elementary is also above mid-pack with a ranking of #470 of 1208, although giving up 13 positions. Hart Elementary is bad scoring #699 of 1208 schools and losing 81 positions and Hart County High School is even worse, scoring #270 of 409 schools, and dropping 53 positions. The standard responses from the Board of Education (BOE) or these low scores is not acceptable. • “WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY.” Hart County and all the neighboring schools, including those ranked #1 are spending about $8,000 to $10,000 per student per year. Most of the top 10 elementary schools are spending in the $8,000 to $9,000 range. • “WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS.” The only available measure of “disadvantaged” is the proportion of USDA free lunches. Hart County and all the neighboring schools have free lunch in the 58% to 70% range. So, what are we getting for our tax dollars that go to the schools – the answer is, not much? Our school system made a contract with the state for continuous improvement when granted charter status to Hart County Schools. We have not seen substantial improvement since being given the charter status. The problem lies with the school administration, starting with the do-nothing Board of Education. The board is a wall between the administration and the tax payers. Two board seats will be up for election next year. Mike Buckel ​706-377-4321

2020 – A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER - will be etched in our minds forever with COVID-19 turning all of our lives upside down. Shutdowns and sequestering reduced our normal number of eleven monthly meetings to five, however, we had some very interesting topics! *Elbert Memorial Hospital Overview by Russell Toms, Director of Radiology – February *Representative Alan Powell – update on legislation and upcoming elections – July *District Attorney, Parks White – personal protection/defense & state gun laws – August *Impact of Tourism on Our Taxes & Closing of the Payne’s Creek Campground – Commissioner, Ricky Carter – September PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION FOR SENIORS has been an ongoing project by the HCPOA Board. Many Georgia counties grant generous property tax exemptions for seniors. Since the Hart County Board of Education gets approximately 70% of our property taxes, we feel there should be some relief in this amount for older citizens. As a first step in achieving this we decided to test the feelings of citizens through a Ballot Initiative placed on a Primary Ballot which must be done through a political party. Following correct procedures, the Republican Party carried the following Ballot Initiative on the June Primary Ballot: “Shall Hart County Tax Code be amended to reduce/eliminate the burden of heavy school tax allocation upon senior property owners?” There was a brief clarifying explanation after this wording. The resolution passed overwhelmingly by 4,585 Yes vs. 826 No - an 85% yes, or 6:1 ratio! This is just the beginning of a long war but an obvious encouragement to continue on! UPDATE ON PAYNE’S CREEK CAMPGROUND. In October, the County Board of Commissioners moved to lease the Payne’s Creek Campground site from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will continue to operate it as a campground. Reservations can be made at the county website. HEADS UP FOR LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS. The new Hartwell Shoreline Management Plan became effective 9/15/2020. A dock electrical system inspection by a “State Certified Electrician” is now required when your dock permit is renewed. Also, irrigation using lake water is “still being considered” by the Corps. We hope to have Sandy Campbell talk about the entire new Shoreline Management Plan but apparently at this time Corps employees are working from home only due to COVID-19 issues. Don’t spend money on an irrigation system without checking! LOCAL SALES OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY have markedly increased in number and value this past year which will likely produce a rise in property tax assessments. We plan to have our April public meeting on the assessment and appeals process. Thank you for your support. We look forward to serving you again in 2021. HCPOA Executive Board

Ritch Vandeventer, Guest Columnist, The Hartwel Sun, June 5, 2014 ​If you’ve been reading The Hartwell Sun or listening to Backtalk Live recently, you may have heard the name Hart County Property Owner’s Association and wondered who we are,what we do, and why we do it. In the first place, we’re not new boys (and girls) on the block. We’ve been around since 2002 when a small group of mostly lake property owners were upset with their property tax assessments and decided to express their joint dissatisfaction to local tax authorities. ​Fast forward to today and you’ll find that HCPOA has expanded our community outreach to include broader concerns than just property taxes. We’ve also grown our membership to include more than 200 families who live on the lake, on farms, in the city of Hartwell, and throughout the county. That’s who we are. ​What do we do: (1) We stay in touch with most local government activities by attending public meetings of the County Commissioners, Board of Education, and Tax Assessors. We read the newspaper, listen to WKLY, and ask citizens that we meet from the Dairy Queen to Cateechee and everywhere in between what’s on their minds. In other words, we want to know if our local government is working for you. (2) If government is not doing its job, we try to find out why. Sometimes, it’s just a misunderstanding between officials and citizens, sometimes it’s poor communication, and, occasionally, it’s a failure by government to listen, appreciate, and react to legitimate concerns. If it’s a problem that affects the larger community, we try to dig deeper, get the facts and, working with both citizens and officials, to bring the affected parties together to resolve the problem. (3) And finally, we try to provide factual information to voters through monthly public meetings, ads in The Sun, our web site http://www.hcpoa.info/ and everyday contacts with our fellow citizens. Our hope is that the information that we provide and the actions we take will enable all of our citizens to make more informed decisions. Have we been successful? Well, usually no single person or organization can take full credit for county wide improvements but we have played a part in creating a property tax system that’s more fair and equitable; in focusing the attention of multiple state agencies on the disastrous effects of fluctuating lake levels on local businesses and lake property owners; and we are working with the Hart County school superintendent and the School Board to structure a SPLOST referendum that promises up-graded facilities and new educational opportunities for our kids and grand kids. Are we always successful? Probably not...but at least we try every day to make our collective world a little better. It’s not always easy to challenge conventional wisdom or the established order, but to my knowledge, no other local organization does what we do. Please come join us. We need your knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to help make a great community even better. If we don’t do it, who will?