The LaFayette City Council will take up a lengthy agenda tonight, including the city’s property tax rate, budget, upcoming community events and several infrastructure projects. A public hearing on the property tax rate is set for 6:15 p.m., followed by the regular council meeting at 6:30. Council members are expected to consider adopting the property tax millage rate and city budget, along with appointing a city clerk and a police surplus request. The council will also discuss road closures for several events, including Scare on the Square, Wrestling on the Square and Hang Out with a Hero, along with plans for the Homecoming Parade, Veterans Day Parade and Reindeer Run and Christmas Parade. Infrastructure items include wastewater treatment issues, a water control valve task order and a task order involving emerging contaminants.
The City of LaFayette has announced Abigail Griffith as its new Downtown Development Coordinator and Main Street Manager. Griffith is a longtime supporter of downtown LaFayette, volunteering at cleanup days, attending community events and helping promote local activities.
A four-vehicle crash caused major traffic delays on I-75 near exit 353 Saturday afternoon. Georgia State Patrol says the crash happened just before 1 p.m. when a northbound semi traveling in the middle lane struck an SUV in the left lane. The SUV left the roadway and hit a guardrail, while the semi crossed the center guardrail into southbound traffic. The semi then struck the trailer of another vehicle in the southbound left lane. Debris from that crash also hit the windshield of a second southbound semi. The middle and left lanes in both directions were closed while troopers investigated and crews cleared the scene. All lanes were reopened around 2:30 Saturday afternoon.
Georgia ranks number one in the nation for the most expensive cost of owning a car, according to a new study from Insurify and AAA. The study puts Georgia’s average annual cost of car ownership at seven-thousand-648 dollars, compared to a national average of five-thousand-851. Insurance is the biggest expense, averaging three-thousand-109 dollars a year. Full-coverage insurance in Georgia is up 40 percent over the past three years. Gas averages two-thousand-604 dollars a year, while maintenance costs average one-thousand-935 dollars. The study says Georgians drive an average of 17-thousand-508 miles a year, contributing to higher fuel and maintenance costs. Georgia’s car ownership costs equal about 9-point-6 percent of the state’s median household income.