Published: July 01, 2008 10:14 pm            

Whitfield commission profile: Karen Brewer Horne

The carpet industry has been “very good” to Whitfield County for years, providing scores of jobs to local workers and money to numerous philanthropic endeavors, said Karen Brewer Horne, a candidate for the District 2 seat on the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners.

But now as the industry has again slumped, it’s time to diversify the existing manufacturing base, she said.

“Remember the ‘Field of Dreams’? Did you watch that movie?” Brewer Horne said. “If you build it, they will come. I believe if we can structure ourselves to bring some more business in here, they’ll come. And when the people in our community see that other businesses are interested in us it will put that enthusiasm back in our community to be the best.”

Brewer Horne, who works at a local doctor’s office and is also in the construction industry, faces former commissioner Harold Brooker in the July 15 Republican primary. Current Commissioner Leo Whaley is not seeking re-election. There are no Democrats running, so the winner of the primary will likely be the next commissioner.

While Brewer Horne said county government should help the existing floorcovering industry prosper, it must also aggressively recruit new businesses to Whitfield County. Brewer Horne said she would rather wait until she is elected before revealing which types of businesses she would recruit.

Whitfield County has several strong points, including infrastructure, quick access to I-75 and an expanding Dalton State College, she said. But Whitfield County is one of 15 counties in Georgia that still has the freeport tax, which is a charge on inventoried goods. Brewer Horne believes the tax puts the county at a competitive disadvantage when trying to lure businesses. She said the county should eliminate the freeport tax. On Monday, the Dalton City Council is expected to vote on a referendum on the November ballot asking city voters to approve a 20 percent exemption for all inventory classes in the city.

“They can go to Gordon County, Catoosa County, any county around us and not pay the high inventory taxes that we have,” Brewer Horne said. “We’ve got to work on reducing those. That also helps your existing business owners. We’re going to play on the same playing field.”

Commissioners and the Dalton City Council have discussed merging the two road departments and the building inspectors offices. Brewer Horne said she is open to consolidating departments as long it makes fiscal sense and the level of service is kept high.

“Any time you have a duplication of services, if you can combine those services and still offer the quality of service, it can save you money,” Brewer Horne said. “But just to combine them to combine them? I’m on the outside looking in. I don’t know how much homework has been done with that. Like anybody else, I read in the paper where they had had talks and backed away. I think it maybe went too quick, too fast. You have to know what you’re doing before you do it. You really study it.”

Brewer Horne said she will look at ways the county can save money to “weather the storm” through a down economy. She declined to say where the county could cut its budget.

“I’ll wait until I can really see a budget and see it written down if I’m elected commissioner because I’m used to working with budgets and I’m used to managing people because I have managerial experience with people, salary evaluations, and I have that experience,” Brewer Horne said.

Brewer Horne said she is also concerned about the county’s dependence on Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes to fund projects. Although she said the recent transportation SPLOST was needed, she said as a private taxpayer the SPLOSTs never seem to end.

“The issue that concerns me about SPLOST: When’s the last time we haven’t had one?” Brewer Horne said. “SPLOST, no matter what the purpose, whether it’s transportation, school, infrastructure, if you just keep having it when one expires and another one it ends up just being a regular tax.”

The county’s 2008 general fund budget is $55.04 million and the county employs about 500.

        

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