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Mayoral Runoff to Take Place in Roswell

Carl H. Martens — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:02:52 +0000

A three-way race for Roswell Mayor has come down to a Dec. 1 runoff between three-term incumbant Jere Wood and former City Council member David Tolleson. Wood leads numerically however, did not have the needed 50 percent of the vote. Council member Lori Henry was far back in third place.

Tolleson said voters seemed to like his message of building a consensus.

“We’ve had divisions based on where people live, different parts of town, whether somebody was pro-business or pro-neighborhood,” Tolleson said. “In the words of ‘High School Musical,’ we’re all in this together.”

Wood said he won’t change his campaign, which is based on his record. He said the runoff will be decided by turnout, not fund-raising.

“David has not raised any issues other than style,” Wood said. “I would be surprised if any new issues arise.”

Wood, 60, is a silver-haired lawyer known for his bowties, bicycling, and pro-environmental initiatives. He was first elected mayor in 1997 by riding anti-sprawl sentiment to beat a longtime incumbent. He faced minor opposition in his two re-elections.

Tolleson, 47, painted himself as the candidate who could bring together warring factions in Roswell. He also is executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

Henry, a two-term council member, campaigned as a fiscal conservative. She attacked Wood for supporting Roswell East, a planned Atlantic Station-like project that never got off the ground, and for favoring the use of reserve funds to make the city budget work. The 53-year-old homemaker used to run her family’s pest-control business and was first elected to the council in 2001.

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Obama Set to Sign New Homebuyer Tax Credit Bill

Carl H. Martens — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:44:18 +0000

If you thought you missed your chance of $8,000 from the government, think again! Buy a home before May 1 and collect up to $6,500 from the government. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, get up to $8,000. That’s right…President Obama is set to sign an extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and this new bill also includes a credit for current homeowners.

Already passed by the Senate, the House voted 403-12 Thursday to expand on the current $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. Included in the bill is an extension of unemployment benefits and expands a tax break for money-losing businesses. It is expected that President Obama will sign the bill today.

Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible, subject to income limits, for tax credits of up to $6,500. First-time homebuyers — or people who haven’t owned homes in the previous three years — could get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers have to sign purchase agreements before May 1 and close before July 1.

The credit is available for the purchase of principal homes costing $800,000 or less, meaning vacation homes are ineligible. The credit would be phased out for individuals with annual incomes above $125,000 and for joint filers with incomes above $225,000.

Extending and expanding the tax credit for homebuyers is projected to cost the government about $10.8 billion in lost taxes.

The credit is equal to 10 percent of the purchase price of a primary residence, up to a maximum of $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and $6,500 for others.

Taxpayers can claim the credit on their federal income tax returns. If the credit exceeds their tax bill, the government will issue a payment. Taxpayers who want immediate refunds can amend their tax returns for 2008 to claim the credit.

The homebuyers tax credit is one of two tax breaks totaling more than $21 billion that were included in a bill extending unemployment benefits for those without jobs for more than a year. The other tax break would allow money-losing companies to use current losses to offset taxable profits earned in the previous five years.

That break would help industries that have suffered big losses in the recession, including retailers, homebuilders and newspapers.

Expanding the tax credit for money-losing companies is projected to cost $10.4 billion.

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Sweet Apple Village in Roswell to Hold Inaugural Fall Festival

Carl H. Martens — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:48:02 +0000

Sweet Apple Village, Roswell’s new premiere shopping destination, is hosting a fall festival that will be full of fun activities for the whole family. Come enjoy hay rides, jump houses, crafts, face painting, a fire truck and balloon creations in addition to give-aways galore and a farmers’ market. Sample food from Tera Humata, the area’s hottest Mexican restaurant and tequila bar, and The Village Slice, serving exceptional pizza and pasta.

Sweet Apple Village is located at the corner of Etris Road and Crabapple Road in Roswell, GA. View directions to Sweet Apple Village.

Saturday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Contact Joe Mediate for more information, 404-446-1225, joe@kookoobearkids.com

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Fulton County Students Will Have Longer Days in 2010

Carl H. Martens — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:14:44 +0000

Fulton County students will have an additional 10 minutes added to their school days next year when five half-days are eliminated, resulting in a 177 day calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.

The shorter calendar year will result in $1.1 million in annual savings!

New guidelines allow schools to deviate from the standard 180-day calendar as long as there is no reduction in instructional hours, and there is an 8.85 hour increase in the new calendar year.

In order to reduce the days in the calendar year, the school system has eliminated 5 half days. Although these half days have been eliminated and these days are typically used for teacher meetings and trainings, the staff will still continue to receive both before the school year on scheduled work days.

Critics of this change make a very valid point: Although class days are extended 10 minutes each day, it will not amount to much extra quality learning time as each class period is extended only one to two minutes.

Regardless, the board voted 5-1 to approve the new calendar.

The Fulton County Board of Education was presented with two options for the 177 day calendar. The calendar the board voted against would have students beginning school on August 16th. The board was not presented with a 180 day calendar to vote on.

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Senate Passes Extension of Homebuyer Tax Credit

Carl H. Martens — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:28:24 +0000

Senators agreed on Wednesday to extend the popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers. The current $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit is set to expire at the end of November.

The agreement in the Senate extends the existing tax credit for first-time homebuyers while also offering a reduced credit of up to $6,500 tax credit to repeat buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years.

These tax credits would be available to homebuyers who sign sales agreements by the end of April. They would have until the end of June to close on their new homes.

September saw a 3.6 percent fall in new home sales…the first time it fell since March. Many feel that it was the uncertainty of the tax credit that made new home sales fall in September.

It takes 45-60 days to close on a house, making it unlikely that a sale made today would qualify for the current tax credit which has a deadline of the end of November.

About 1.4 million first-time homebuyers have qualified for the credit through August. The National Association of Realtors estimates that 350,000 of them would not have purchased their homes without the credit.

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Will the $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit Be Extended?

Carl H. Martens — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:03:11 +0000

This is a question I’ve been hearing a lot lately…”will the $8,000 home buyer tax credit be extended?” Unfortunately, I am no fortune teller, neither is H2 Realty’s lead Realtor Aaron Hofmann or any other real estate professionals that I know of. Here is what I’ve found though in doing some research.

There is no official extension.

Here is where things stand.

There is bipartisan support in Congress for extending the credit past Nov. 30th. It is still unclear if it were to be extended, how far it would be extended, the size of the credit and how many more buyers would qualify.
It is unclear what President Obama’s stance is on the issue.
The latest idea under discussion is a credit worth up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and up to $6,500 for homeowners looking to trade up to a bigger primary residence and who have already lived in their current home for five years.
Proponents of the credit say that if it is allowed to expire, the housing market and the broader economy will grow moribund again.
Critics state that of the nearly 2 million homebuyers who will have gotten the credit by Nov. 30th that only about 10% to 20% bough homes solely because of the credit.

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Roswell Attempts to Ban Smoking in City Parks

Carl H. Martens — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:16:48 +0000

The city of Roswell is yet again doing something to help promote a more healthy lifestyle; proposing a ban of smoking in Roswell city parks. Unfortunately, this plan has met a roadblock and the ban has been delayed.

The roadblock came at Monday night’s meeting when council members could not come to a decision as to the meaning of “private vehicle”. The ordinance states that the only designated area where a resident can smoke is within a private vehicle. The confusion came when asked if bicycles and motorcycles were considered private vehicles.

Councilwoman Becky Wynn said, “We’re either going to have to ban smoking completely in the park, or we’re going to have to have designated areas in the park itself for smoking.”

Mayor Jere Wood suggested wording the ordinance to allow smoking in city park parking lots, however that was met with criticism because the ordinance’s goal is to promote a healthy attitude and many did not view permitting smoking in parking lots as a way to achieve this goal.

The ordinance originally was developed in response to complaints about residents smoking in the stands during children’s ballgames.

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Roswell City Council Supports Private Dam Loan Legislation

Carl H. Martens — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:28:44 +0000

Back on Oct. 12, Georgia Republican Wendell Willard of Sandy Springs asked the Roswell City Council for support of legislation creating a state fund that would issue low-interest loans for privately owned dams. Today the Roswell city council gave its approval of the legislation.

The legislation came forth as the state wants to ensure dams meet the degree of safety warranted for property and for any lives at risk should a dam fail.

Lake Martin in Martin's Landing subdivision could be a candidate for a loan.

Privately owned dams aren’t necessarily dams owned privately by an individual…the majority of these dams are actually privately owned property by a neighborhood and maintained by its homeowners association.

These dams perform a public service in detention water and flood control. Therefore, it is in the public’s interest to see that they are preserved and continue to serve those functions.

The city of Roswell has more than 50 private lakes and ponds within its city limits.

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Roswell City Council Votes Tonight About Smoking Ban

Carl H. Martens — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:46:09 +0000

The Roswell City Council will vote tonight on an ordinance that if passed would prohibit smoking in city parks.

Smokers would have to be inside private vehicles in order to be allowed to smoke within the parks.

If Roswell approves the law, the city would join other local governments that have banned or put tough restrictions on smoking in parks. The City of Marietta recently banned smoking in all city parks and Henry and Clayton counties have passed total smoking bans.

The council will vote at 7:30pm tonight at Roswell City Hall at 38 Hill Street.

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Roswell Bridge Closed Due to Flood Damage

Carl H. Martens — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:54:16 +0000

The Georgia Department of Transportation has closed the bridge on Riverside Road in Roswell, just east of GA. 9 for safety reasons.

The bridge has been closed after it failed a GDOT test after the recent floods and must be tested further by engineers who must check the footing of the bridge.

The bridge will be closed until further notice. Drivers who use the bridge are asked to take alternative routes.

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