Albany Area News Roundup

City of Sylvester passes FY 2018 budget

SYLVESTER — The Sylvester City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2018, which begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2018. The budget was passed with no service reductions and no tax or utilities fee increases.

The city’s millage rate will stay the same at 7.253 mills.

Sylvester’s overall FY 2018 budget is $20 million, including $5.9 million for the general fund budget. The general fund budget supports general government services, including police and fire services, parks and recreation programs, code enforcement, planning and development, and streets and public works maintenance.

Information on the budget or other city of Sylvester business is available by calling (22) 776-8505 or going online to www.cityofsylvester.com.

Men’s fashion fundraiser girls night out event

ALBANY — Area ladies are encouraged to plan a girls night out to take in the 2017 Men’s Wear Fashion Show Saturday at the Lockett Station Community Center at Robert Cross Middle School.

The event, which is a benefit to raise funds for Lt. O.C. Conley with the Albany Police Department, is co-sponsored by the city of Albany’s Recreation and Parks Department and the Albany Police Department. Some of the community’s finest gentlemen will serve as models for the event, which starts at 8 p.m. at the 324 Lockett Station Road venue.

For a $5 donation, attendees can win a $100 Visa gift card, take part in a 50-50 raffle or have pictures taken with a model for an additional $5 sitting fee. The event is also co-sponsored by Cavalier’s Men’s Clothing and Kmart.

For additional information, contact Tee Taylor at the Recreation and Parks Department at (229) 430-5222, extension 5219, or APD Capt. Wendy Luster at (229) 431-2100.

SBA disaster loan deadline nears

ATLANTA — The U.S. Small Business Administration has released a reminder for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations that July 24 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans in Clay, Early and Seminole counties in Georgia as a result of the drought that began on Nov. 15, 2016.

“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in Alabama. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers or ranchers. Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.

The loans are for working capital and can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 3.125 percent for eligible small businesses and 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations, and terms up to 30 years.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Georgia joins states opposed to water rule

ATLANTA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that Georgia has joined a 20-state coalition in asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to preserve the role of the states in protecting the nation’s water resources.

“Georgia, like many other States, believes that the 2015 WOTUS (Waters of the United States) Rule is unlawful and that it would have significant consequences for homeowners, farmers and other entities, including requiring them to obtain costly permits and comply with complex federal mandates to perform everyday tasks,” Carr said. “In our letter, we write to suggest how the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can write a rule that protects the states’ traditional role as primary regulators of land and water resources within their borders.”

Georgia signed onto the letter, led by West Virginia and Wisconsin, along with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.