The Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce had its second-annual State of the Community event with another good turnout to hear updates from local leaders in government, education and law enforcement.
Chamber President Chloe Crutchfield welcomed attendees and introduced branch manager Candace Pharr of the presenting sponsor, Huntington Bank in Gray. Pharr said Huntington is a top 10 bank founded in 1866 that has spent 160 years helping individuals, families and businesses.
“Even with $284 billion in assets and 1,400 branches, Huntington believes in local relationships, growing our customers, investing in businesses and supporting our communities,” she said. “Huntington Bank is glad to be in Jones County and is anxious to get involved.”
The speakers began following a delicious meal catered by Giganti on Main, sponsored by Ayers Real Estate.
Local government
First to speak was Jones County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Weidner. He, of course, talked about taxes, which seems to be the topic of many, especially this time of year.
Jones County just went through its first countywide revaluation in 14 years, and new property tax assessments were mailed last month.
Weidner said he has been asked many times why the commissioners have increased taxes, but he explained that taxes have not been set for 2026. He said the increase in property values is a good thing for everyone, but the tax rate is not set until the county’s budget is completed and adopted.
“We have rolled back the millage rate for the past five years, and we are hoping to be able to do it again this year,” he stated.
The chairman explained that property values had been all over the place, and Jones County was in jeopardy of being fined by the state. He said the county failed the sales tax ratio audit by the Georgia Department of Revenue for three years in a row. The commissioners worked with the tax assessors for the past three years, appointing all new members of the Board of Tax Assessors and hiring a new chief appraiser.
Weidner said the new board members were all trained, and the first countywide revaluation in 14 years was completed.
The chairman said the Board of Commissioners is now in the budget process, and expenses are up, especially employee health insurance. But he added the commissioners are working with department heads, and all hope to be able to roll the rate back a sixth time.
Mayor Ed Barbee gave the update for the city. He began by stating that the City of Gray is on sound financial ground. The mayor said the city’s new wastewater treatment plant has increased sewer capacity, and two newly drilled wells have exceeded expectations in adding to the city’s ability to produce its own water.
Barbee also touted the Jones County Library in Gray as one of the best in the state. He said more housing is needed, and the city just approved a preliminary plat for a new development on Eatonton Highway.
The mayor said he is a big supporter of small businesses opening in Gray and is glad to help new business owners work through the process. He said the city also works with current businesses to make sure they are successful.
“I’m proud to represent the City of Gray wherever I go,” Barbee said.
Education
Jones County School Superintendent Dr. Jessica Graves said it remains her honor and privilege to work alongside community leaders and share the state of the school system.
“I’m a firm believer that people can get behind the ‘what’ if they understand the ‘why,’” she said.
Graves said that started with a board retreat in May with the public. That was the beginning of the process that created the JCSS mission and vision statements.
The mission is: “JCSS creates a collaborative culture of growth that challenges every student to persevere toward academic achievement.”
She said this is the first step of creating the understanding in the community that good is not enough.
“Our vision is where we are going,” she said.
The vision is: “JCSS will graduate lifelong learners to become enrolled, enlisted or employed as contributing members of society.”
The superintendent said the intent is to provide students with the soft skills that are going to be necessary to be successful in life.
Graves said the statements give a snapshot of what can be expected going forward.
The superintendent said safety of students is first. She said as a district they are committed to knowing who is in the buildings and what is in the buildings. That is the reason for the metal detectors and the policy for not allowing electronic devices that can be detected.
“We’ve gotten rave reviews from teachers, administrators and students because students are talking to each other again,” she said.
Graves touched on the block schedule at JCHS and that the school system is the first to have a director of customized learning who supports all students and makes sure every student reaches their full potential.
She invited the community to the Sept. 14 work session to provide input.
Law enforcement
Gray Police Chief Adam Lowe explained the increased presence of city officers and Jones County deputies at Schools. He said safety is first, and steps had already been taken to ensure what happened in Houston County would not happen here.
He said on the opening day there were 581 dropoffs at the high school.
“The volume of traffic for those schools so close together was astronomical that first week,” Lowe said.
The chief said the downtown events have been good for the community, and everyone is having a good time.
“We’ve had zero incidents at these events,” he said.
Lowe added GPD applied for and received more money from grants this year that funded another officer.
“We are proud of that,” he said.
Jones County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Earl Humphries said the office is recovering from a lack of personnel that all law enforcement had suffered through in the past few years. He said since the numbers have increased, it has allowed officers to go to more training for officers, including more safety training.
He said five officers are now in SWAT training.
The chief deputy said a continuing obstacle is mental health, and the number of mental health facilities are at an all-time low.
“We have people in jail for over 700 days because they are unfit to go to trial. That’s something that needs to be done better, but that’s got to be done elsewhere,” he said. Humphries said the hope is for more of the legislative changes like those made last year and for more new mental treatment facilities such as the one built in Dekalb County. He said one of the biggest costs for the jail is the medical issues of inmates.
The chief concluded with an interesting fact that the JCSO is averaging 72,000 miles per month for each patrol officer, which is almost three times the circumference of the earth.
Main Street Gray
Main Street Gray Director Ashley Roberson shared progress from the past year. She said the Gray/Jones County Business Development Office was completed with the help of the City of Gray. The building is located at 102 E. Clinton St. and houses the Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Gray, Gray Downtown Development Authority, Keep Jones Beautiful and the Jones County Development Authority.
“Each organization has its mission and responsibilities, but what we realized at the end of the day is we share a common goal,” she said. “We want to bring businesses here to Jones County and help the businesses that are here to thrive.”
The organizations also share a receptionist.
Roberson said the newest project is the old crossing gas station at 103 Eatonton Hwy. She said the property was acquired last year, and the process began to bring it back to life.
The manager said students from JCHS volunteered to help with the clean out, and since then the building has a new roof and a small garage door to bring back the feel of the old gas station. She said the DDA is working with the Design Studio of UGA College Institute of Government and now has a plan of what the property can become.
Roberson said, while the physical projects are exciting, it’s important to get behind the next building or project. In April the Georgia Office of Community Development met in Gray to facilitate a strategic planning session with community partners.
“That gave us the opportunity to step back and think about what we want to do next. How do we grow without losing what makes our community special?” she said.
Roberson said the session identified strategies to guide the work over the next three years. She said what is being seen in downtown Gray now is the result of hard work and partnerships.
“We are excited about how far we have come, but also excited about where we are going.”
Conclusion
Crutchfield and Chamber Board of Directors Chairman Amber Ayers closed out the meeting thanking speakers, attendees and sponsors. In addition to presenting sponsor Huntington Bank, lunch was sponsored by Ayers Real Estate, and dessert was sponsored by Delong’s Gizzard Equipment. Table decor was sponsored by Tri-County EMC.
