This week on Athens News Matters, a spooky story from a local ghost expert. Plus, we discuss parking sign vandalism in downtown Athens.
Mayor Girtz explains the FLOST referendum on your November 3rd ballot
In June, the Athens Mayor and Commission voted to include a FLOST referendum on the November 3rd ballot—that’s a Floating Local Option Sales Tax. If it passes, the referendum will increase the local sales tax by 1% and use that money to reduce property taxes. FLOST is listed as the second-to-last item on the November 3rd ballot, under One Percent Floating Local Option Sales and Use Tax. If this FLOST referendum and the ESPLOST renewal both pass, Athens-Clarke County’s sales tax will increase to 9%. Mayor Kelly Girtz sat down with Alexia Ridley to explain the referendum further.
Athens Downtown Development Authority wrestles with parking sign vandalism
When Athens switched from parking meters to pay-by-app parking this summer, aluminum ParkMobile signs were installed in front of every downtown parking space. But if you’ve been downtown lately, you might have noticed that most of those signs have been snapped off. The Director of Planning and Outreach for the Athens Downtown Development Authority, David Lynn, sat down with WUGA’s Havivah Saltz to discuss the recent rash of vandalism.
Ghosts of Athens author tells her own ghost story
Happy Halloween! To wrap up spooky season, WUGA’s Havivah Saltz sat down with Tracy Adkins, author of several books about Georgia ghosts, including Ghosts of Athens: History and Haunting of Athens, Georgia. Although Adkins usually writes about other people’s supernatural encounters, she has a ghost story of her own, too.
This is the final installment of Ghost Gabs, a series of Athens ghost stories.
