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Animals shelter faces tax woes
poundoutsidekennel
Dogs spend part of their time at the shelter in outside kennels. - photo by Phgoto by Patty Leon
New kennels line the enclosed pet housing area.
A new coat of paint covers the wall.
The cats are housed in a newly constructed playpen to play and socialize together.
Air conditioning is available for the animals during the hot summer months and blankets are given out when the temperatures drop.
Compared to a year ago, the Liberty Humane Shelter has improved its facilities beyond what anyone may have expected. Things were progressively moving forward and plans were coming together — then the bottom dropped out.
“We had no idea until we received the certified letter about two months ago,” said Merle Watson, the shelter board’s first vice president. “We (the current board and president) were under the impression that everything was up to date and this just came out of the blue.”
Watson was referring to a notice from the IRS stating the shelter owed money in unpaid withholding taxes, and other federal and state taxes.
“To date, we paid the IRS close to $13,000 and we still owe some penalties that will be sent to us the next quarter,” current shelter president Sandra Frye said. “This has depleted our operational funds significantly.”
The women explained that during the transition period, when the former administration was making way for the new administration and board, documents might have been lost in the shuffle.
“Beforehand, we did not have the help of a professional and, for a while, things were handled by personnel in interim positions,” Watson said. “We want everyone to know that is not how it works now and we currently have a professional accountant who is volunteering to keep the records and books up to date and accurate.”
Frye and Watson contend the current administration and board have the same vision for the shelter - doing whatever is in the best interest of the animals.
“This is the best group of employees we have ever had working for us,” Watson said.” They are committed to the animals. They have experience in working with animals and they want what is best for the animals and the shelter.”
“Our employees are also members of the board and they know what is going on,” Frye said. “They come to all of our meetings. Some have even volunteered some of the work hours to keep the budget down. They are helping us penny pinch while we get through this downslide.”
Watson said their accountant advised them they are currently at 50 percent of where their budget should be.
“If we have an illness outbreak or something go wrong then we only have enough funds to operate for two months right now,” Frye said. “This really knocked us from left field and we were doing so well. “If we would have known that the shelter owed those funds to the IRS we would have paid them first and worry about getting renovations done later,” she said.
In order to help them get through this temporary financial setback the shelter group are planning some fund raising events to bring their books back to where they should be.
“We always have a wish list of items we need, like blankets, towels, collars but this one time we need operational funds more than anything else to get us past this setback,” Frye said.
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Community gets a rare snow day
Snow Day 1

City of Hinesville and Liberty County offices are closed today, and the Liberty County School System is undergoing a day of virtual learning after a winter storm hit southeast Georgia.

Coastal Georgia was inundated with one of the biggest snowfalls in recorded history as forecasters called for 4-6 inches of snow to fall Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Initial reports Wednesday morning indicate at least 2 inches fell on Hinesville.

Sean Hafer and his family took advantage of the quiet roads and still Wednesday morning to enjoy the snow at Bradwell Park. He’s lived in Hinesville for almost 12 years and recalled the snow storm of 2018. But that snow was “not this deep,” he said. “It’s been a while.

“I don’t think many people went to work today,” Hafer said. “You think people would be out in it having fun, but I guess they’re scared to drive in it. It’s fun when you don’t get it around here.”

Hafer said he was curious to see how much snow was going to fall.

“They did well on this,” he said of the meteorologists. “They were accurate. They earned their pay on this one.”

The City of Hinesville declared a state of emergency Tuesday in advance of the storm and residents are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel due to potential severe weather conditions. Melting snow and ice can refreeze overnight, making roads dangerous.

Liberty County offices will remain closed until Friday. Liberty County School System students are having virtual learning Thursday.

Near-record lows tonight could lead to hazardous road conditions through tonight and Thursday morning, especially on secondary roads due to refreezing of melted snow and sleet and black ice with freezing of water puddle.

While daytime highs will be more temperate, overnight lows for the next few days are expected to remain well below freezing. The City of Hinesville encourages residents to drip their faucets overnight, insulate exposed pipes and to let warm air circulate around pipes by opening cabinet doors under sinks, especially those near exterior walls.

Some travel issues could persist Thursday night, with the potential for any remaining snow or slush to refreeze, especially on secondary roads.

The city also is reporting no power outages and all traffic lights are operational. Since most businesses are closed, traffic is minimal and residents are urged not to travel unless necessary.

 

 

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