Blairsville, Ga – Blairsville City Council voted to unanimously lower the millage rate during the August meeting. Previously set at 1.945 percent, Mayor Jim Conley ran the numbers and discovered that by lowering the millage rate to 1.895 percent would only cost the county $202 a year. It’s a 0.5 percent reduction in current millage […]
Read More »July 4th Festivities Celebrate America’s History
Blairsville, Ga – Fireworks, Revolutionary Soldiers, football, and music represented a fun-filled July 4th for everyone in Blairsville. Union County hosted a variety of events for Independence Day, kicking off at Vogel State Day for a day of American fun from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Festivities included pedal boat races, bicycle parade, sandcastle competition, […]
Read More »Escaped Suspected Felon Arrested In Fannin
Blairsville, Ga – Dangerous suspected felon who evaded Union, Fannin, and Gilmer County Sheriff Offices for five days, was finally arrested on Tuesday night in Fannin County. Union County Sheriff’s Office reported on Wednesday, June 3, that Fannin County Deputies arrested the suspect on Tuesday, June 2. A deputy responded to a tip that an […]
Read More »Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Honors Union County Schools
Blairsville, Ga – Representative from the Georgia Department of Agriculture presented Union County Board of Education with the Georgia Grown System of Distinction Award. Misty Freeman served as Georgia’s Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black’s spokesperson to congratulate Union County School’s (UCS) Nutrition Program Director Courtney Waller on her efforts to provide students with locally sourced meals. […]
Read More »$2M UCS Field House Under Reevaluation
Blairsville, Ga – New field house being reassessed after bids come in $1M over the initial budget. Board of Education elected to reevaluate the scope of the field house project after bids for came back around $2M. “I had anticipated a million. This is way more than I anticipated,” stated Chair Cynthia Odom. “When we […]
Read More »Paw Park Project Seeks Advice from City Council
Blairsville, Ga – Paw Park Project approached the Blairsville City Council about creating a suitable dog park for the city and Union County. Gracian Sabo represented the Paw Park Project and the local Boy Scout Troop, who have pledged to support the project if it moves forward. The Boy Scouts aren’t sponsoring the project, but […]
Read More »Verizon Wants to Enhance Network Coverage in Blairsville
Blairsville, GA – Spokeswoman from Verizon Wireless presented a plan to bring small cell towers into the city to improve the area’s network coverage. Traffic engineers from Verizon noticed the need for increased network capacity within the community. “The exponential growth or hockey stick growth is putting a lot of demand on the [current] cell […]
Read More »Union County $2.2M Over Budget in 2018
Blairsville, Ga – Union County went $2.2M over budget in 2018 due to unexpected health care costs and rises in service expenses. Auditors advised the amending of the 2018 budget after expenditures exceeded expectations for the year. The total operating budget for 2018 amounted to $18,908,000. Several areas of the operating budget experienced higher costs […]
Read More »New Sidewalks Coming to the Downtown Area
Blairsville, Ga – Blairsville City Council approved new sidewalks for the downtown area in the May 7, 2019 meeting. Rustic Mountain owner June McEldowney and other small-business owners attended the city council meeting to have their questions about the sidewalks answered and stay updated. The project to improve downtown’s sidewalks and fix drainage issues received […]
Read More »Construction Starting on New Rec Center and Finishing on Farmer’s Market
Blairsville, Ga – Commissioner Lamar Paris approved the contract with BM&K Construction to build the new Union County Recreation Center. The facility will include a double gym and will be located next to the Health Department. Construction on the recreation center should be completed by March 10, 2020. The contracted amount for the facility is […]
Read More »Business Held Accountable For Violating Sign Ordinance
Blairsville, Ga – City Council uploads sign ordinance for the city of Blairsville by denying a permit variance. Timberlake Custom Homes, located on the four-lane between Ingles and The Home Depot, remodeled the State Farm building and the accompanying sign. The business requested a permit variance due to the remodeled sign no longer accommodating the […]
Read More »Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Municipal Clerks Week
Blairsville, Ga – May 5-11 marks the 50th anniversary of Municipal Clerks Week, and the Blairsville City Council recognized all the hard work that goes into the job during the monthly meeting. “The office of the municipal clerk is the oldest among public servants, whereas the office of the municipal clerk provides a professional link […]
Read More »Union Reappraising Land and Homes Values Per State Guidelines
Blairsville, Ga – Union County to begin reappraising property values due to sales of homes and property far outpacing actual lvalue with assistance from an outside organization. Georgia Mass Appraisal Solutions (GMASS) and Union County entered into a contract for the organization to handle the bulk of the reappraisals for $620,000 and went into effect […]
Read More »Wastewater Plant Starts Processing Landfill Runoff
Blairsville, Ga – Blairsville’s Wastewater (WWTP) plant to begin processing leachate from local landfills after City Council approves a partnership with The Water Authority (TWA). TWA approached Superintendent of WWTP Jody Cook two months ago about allowing the company to use the plant for leachate processing. Blairsville’s WWTP makes a good candidate to take on […]
Read More »Last Chance to Publicly Voice Concerns about New Gun Range
Blairsville, Ga – Proposed gun range on Hwy. 180 close to moving ahead in the process if the final public hearing on May 30 goes well. The May 30 public hearing will take place at the Civic Center at 6:00 p.m. and will be the last required hearing for the public to attend and voice […]
Read More »Union and Towns Partner for the 2020 Census
Blairsville, Ga – Union and Towns County formed the Trusted Voices committee for assistance with the 2020 census. With the 2020 Census rapidly approaching – April 1, 2020, Union, Towns, Blairsville, Hiawassee, and Young Harris partnered with the Patrick Malone to form the Trusted Voices committee to ensure maximum participation. “We had a meeting six […]
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