This Week In Rockdale

23/07/2024

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Cindy Hall Banks, Tina Hobbs, Janice Richardson, Danielle Munoz, George Kelecheck, Charlotte Gellert, Louis Salvador, Connie Sutherland, Jim Kennedy, Larry Cox, Jeff Owens

15/07/2024

It’s worse than we thought. Not only are we facing massive county and school board tax increases, the county are also slashing the HOST rebate.

HOST is the penny sales tax you pay in Rockdale as “prepayment” toward your property taxes, with the understanding that you’ll get it back as a rebate on your tax bill.

Oz has slashed the HOST rebate every year since he took the chairman’s office.

In 2022 you got 75% back

In 2023 you got 64.8% back

For 2024 you’ll only get 51.7%

Tax bills will skyrocket.

10/07/2024

I’ve been updating the logos for the shows that I run, including This week in Rockdale. The original logo I slapped together in about 2 minutes and it just stuck.

Well, thanks to A.I. I had a little help coming up with a new logo for TWIR, I finished the design and details in Affinity Photo & Designer.

Let me know what you think of the new and improved look.

09/07/2024

13.43% county TAX INCREASE.
25.57% COMBINED INCREASE.

We’ve seen the Proposed school tax 15% increase, Now here’s the County increase, which is odd considering OZ campaigned on lowering taxes. Lying prick.

Combined the property tax increase will be 25.57%. Think about that. What have these people done to take an additional 26% from us?

02/07/2024

Don’t call it a tax increase, even though it’s a tax increase. Courtesy of your failed school superintendent and a few members of the Board of Education.

My advice, go to these public hearings and let them know how you feel, because this isn’t going to stop unless you put a stop to it. 

27/06/2024

https://rumble.com/v542yjf-the-debate-cnn-dont-want-you-to-see-live-coverage-beginning-at-830pm-est.html

THE DEBATE CNN DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE • LIVE COVERAGE BEGINNING AT 8:30PM EST

Watch the Trump-Biden debate with us beginning at 8:30 PM. CNN have threatened to go after anyone that has the audacity to cover this event. This is because the fewer people that see it the more control CNN will have over the narrative. They will be able to tell you what happened, they will be able to tell you who won, rather than opening it up and letting you see for yourself. so join us tonight as we put up a middle finger to CNN and YouTube and cover the debate ourselves.

Watch the Trump-Biden debate with us beginning at 8:30 PM. CNN have threatened to go after anyone that has the audacity to cover this event. This is because the fewer people that see it the more contr

26/06/2024

Well look, a school system lowered their budget. Not by enough, but here’s more evidence for our Failed RCPS Superintendent Oatts.

24/06/2024

How many of y’all have had to cut your personal budget due to the cost of services increasing over the past few years? Never mind the horrific tax increases this superintendent has foisted upon us. Why should it be any different for them, why should we have to scrimp and struggle to get by, when this guy can’t seem find cuts in his $200+ million budget? People are losing their homes to tax sales because of this guy. Disgusting.

24/06/2024

At the Board of Education meeting, the superintendent stated that no department would ever have a smaller budget year on year. In his time here he’s never known that to happen. I’m guessing he forgot that time when Brian Kemp ordered Departments to cut their budgets. So yes, it’s perfectly doable, this guy could easily save us money, he chooses not to because the jobs program he runs is mighty powerful. 

Yet more gaslighting and misinformation from county bureaucrats.

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/gov-kemp-tells-state-agencies-to-cut-upcoming-budgets/85-0c2d49c9-7c17-48af-980f-9ca3e1bc06da 

Governor Brian Kemp reports that Georgia's economy is still strong - but hopes the request will streamline operations across state agencies.

24/06/2024

These folks, who are in charge of educating your kids, don’t understand how a tie works, simply claiming victory! More concerning is that Superintendent Terry Oatts appears to imply that the board have operated this way in the past when a tie occurred which would be highly illegal and worthy of investigation.

24/06/2024

With Special Guest Alex MacDonald discussing The Election Results In Rockdale County

21/06/2024

Where in the World is Mandy North? No idea. She was absent from the 1st BOE meeting after the election. Thankfully, the citizens of Rockdale won’t have to tolerate her for too much longer.

20/06/2024

It’s time to bring in the Bobs

20/06/2024

Oz

Congratulations on losing your job due to your own actions. Instead of considering the perspectives of the wider community, you chose to listen to a select few within your echo chamber. It may surprise you to know what we’ve been telling you all along. The majority of this community don’t appreciate being taxed to death for the sake of your uncontrollable spending habit. You wouldn’t even listen to your own finance Director when he sounded the alarm, instead you fired him thinking that you knew better. It’s difficult to fathom how one who claims to be such a good listener was so completely deaf to the real concerns of the community. 

And to those that blindly followed and executed, I hope you have a better excuse than “I was doing my job“ otherwise it’s time to start updating that résumé. 

You will not be missed 

19/06/2024

The next Rockdale County public school superintendent’s bonus, in fact all of their bonuses,should be dependent on the system adopting a millage rate lower than the rollback millage rate. If property taxes go up a single penny they should all forfeit their bonuses. 

19/06/2024

19/06/2024

As it happened.

19/06/2024

This morning I woke up earlier. My coffee tasted better. The birds were chirping chirpier. There was virtually no traffic heading to work. I believe there are better days on the horizon for Rockdale County. 

19/06/2024

Oz will be a lame duck Chairman until January. The County hasn’t set a millage rate yet. Will he be looking for payback? What’s your guess? 25 mils? 30 mils? Leave your guess in the comments. The person closest will win a tax increase!.

19/06/2024

Congratulations, Rockdale County BOE Post 1 member elect, Larry Cox.

Larry Cox

19/06/2024

Congratulations, Rockdale County BOC Chairman Elect, JaNice VanNess.

Vote JaNice Van Ness for Rockdale Chair

19/06/2024

Congratulations to all three challengers. JaNice VanNess, Tuwanya Smith, and Larry Cox were all given decisive victories and handed a mandate for change in Rockdale 

15/06/2024

Sherri Washington is spreading some misinformation regarding the board of commissioners fond relationship with tax increases. Let’s look at some facts instead.

15/06/2024

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

15/06/2024

Apparently the board of education had a meeting to discuss whether or not they have actually raised our taxes. Some of them seem to think that reducing the millage rate by 1/10 of a mil means that they did not in fact raise our taxes every year consistently. This is because those people are du*****es that don’t understand third grade math.

Let me spell it out for them, any millage rate over and above the rollback rate results in a tax increase. If you were to adopt the rollback rate taxes would remain the same. If you adopt a rate lower than the rollback rate that would be a tax cut.

You are required by law to notify the public of your intended tax increase if you do not adopt the rollback rate.

Yes, you’ve increased our taxes every year without fail, I understand that the superintendent doesn’t agree that that’s a tax increase, because they lowered the millage by 0.01%, just enough to give him a bonus, but that’s simply one more reason to fire the moron.

14/06/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/wtLsE7XXyU9WLKqa/?

13/06/2024

Can anyone explain what a “mediation garden” is? Seems like a critical need.
Did they perhaps mean meditation? As entertaining as a mediation garden would be, I imagine it would get a little spicy!

Please find the attached press release announcing the successful reception of USDA grant funds. Rockdale County will construct a mediation and therapy garden for citizens and a demonstration garden for children with this funding. The garden will predominantly feature herbs, providing a peaceful space for community members to participate in therapeutic activities and learn about the benefits of urban agriculture, which is just one of the project’s proposed features. We kindly ask for your assistance in spreading the word about this incredible accomplishment.

For Immediate Release
Jun 13th, 2024

Rockdale County Secures $145,000 USDA Grant to Boost Urban Agriculture and Food Security

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. – Rockdale County is pleased to announce its official selection as a sub-awardee under the University of Georgia’s USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Urban and Innovative Agriculture Community-Based Organization Fund. As a result, Rockdale County has been awarded $145,000 to advance the projects and goals outlined in our project proposal, such asestablishing a mediation and therapy garden for citizens and a demonstration garden for children. The garden will primarily feature herbs, providing a tranquil space for community members to engage in therapeutic activities and learn about the benefits of urban agriculture.

Commissioner Sherri L. Washington has been instrumental in securing this funding for Rockdale County. Her dedication and leadership have been pivotal in achieving this accomplishment.

"I am elated that Rockdale County is now a recipient of a USDA/UGA grant that will allow us to not only help alleviate food insecurities but also teach our community how to become self-sufficient," said Commissioner Sherri L. Washington. "One of the most exciting elements of this community garden is that it will incorporate a meditation garden that will allow us to grow herbs as well as create spaces for yoga, meditation, and sound meditation. I look forward to working with our inaugural volunteer organizations, the NewRock Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction as well as Top Teens of America, so that we can move this initiative forward."
“The NewRock Chapter is excited to partner with Commissioner Sherri Washington and Rockdale County Administration to ensure that residents, especially those living in food deserts, have access to healthy food options,” said Charnita V. West, president of the NewRock Chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction (TLOD), Inc. and Top Teens of America. “Ladies and Teens of the NewRock Chapter are committed to building stronger communities through our five programmatic thrusts, which include community partnerships and community beautification. Collaborating on this worthwhile initiative will allow us to answer our national call for 'Continuity in Action,' where we plan and implement service projects that are consistent and long-lasting.”

This funding is part of a larger $43.1 million investment by the USDA FSA through the American Rescue Plan Act for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. This initiative aims to strengthen the food supply chain and transform the food system to be fairer, more competitive, and more resilient. The investment will also support food-insecure communities and aid producers in regions where FSA has historically had limited presence.

Rockdale County is excited to utilize these funds to enhance our local agricultural initiatives, contribute to the resilience of our food system, and support our community in meaningful ways. We look forward to collaborating with the University of Georgia and the USDA FSA to achieve these goals.

11/06/2024

It’s remarkably insulting and disrespectful when the person that raises your taxes every year without fail, refuses to acknowledge that she raised your taxes.

Mandy North doesn’t even have the decency to say “yes I raised your taxes“. Instead she attempts to gaslight you with fanciful tales about the millage rate.

Don’t be fooled, she knows what she’s doing, she’s hoping you’re stupid enough to fall for it.