Gordon County Arrest Report
The following select individuals were booked into the Gordon County Jail on June 22, 2026:
Joseph Richard Adams, 53, Homeless Calhoun, CPD, Criminal Trespass
Travis James Price, 29, Calhoun, GCSO, Aggravated Assault FVA, Simple Battery – Family Violence
All arrests are available at discovergordoncounty.com.
Calhoun City Council Adopts Conservative $144.7M Budget
The Calhoun City Council held its Work Session and regular meeting on Monday, June 22nd, kicking off with the official swearing-in of John Robbins to the Calhoun City School Board of Education. Following the ceremony, the council moved to adopt the proposed $144.7 million annual operating budgets for the City of Calhoun, Utilities, and Calhoun City Schools.
The adopted budget reflects a highly conservative financial strategy. To retain essential workers, the budget includes a 5% raise for city employees. In contrast, the school district’s budget includes no raises for city school employees and mandates strict 10% cuts to non-instructional operating costs to hold the line on spending.
Also of note during the meetings, a much smaller crowd of data center opponents was in attendance compared to recent weeks. The council entered into executive sessions during both the noon Work Session and the 7:00 PM regular meeting, but returned to open session with no public actions taken.
Utility Rate Comparisons and Projections
As part of the utility budget, the council approved a 5% increase in water and sewer rates to fund infrastructure and mandated PFAS reduction improvements. Despite this increase, Calhoun’s utility rates remain lower than neighboring Dalton and Rome, both of which are pushing higher baseline utility costs onto their residents this year.
Looking at regional electric utilities, Georgia Power is implementing a monthly rate decrease of $4.04 starting this month following a fuel and storm cost recovery settlement. They are also keeping base rates frozen to protect residential customers from the infrastructure costs of large data centers. Meanwhile, North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (NGEMC) continues to hold stable regional pricing, maintaining its residential grid support fee at $26.56 with a steady June energy charge of roughly 8.5 cents per kWh.
Gordon County General Administration Committee
At the county level, the Gordon County General Administration Committee meets today, June 23rd, at 3:00 PM in the Gordon County Administration Building Conference Room. The committee will tackle a 10-part Order of Business.
The expanded agenda features key updates from multiple departments, including Community Development, the County Clerk, Elections, Finance, HR / Risk Management, IT, and Planning and Zoning. The meeting will conclude with reports from the Tax Assessor, County Administrator, and the Committee Chair. If you plan to attend, this will be your last chance for the summer, as their next scheduled meeting isn’t until September 22nd.
Gordon County Board of Assessors to Set 2026 Assessments
With both the City of Calhoun and Gordon County having officially passed their respective budgets, local property owners are about to get a clear look at how those numbers translate to their wallets. The Gordon County Board of Assessors has scheduled a called meeting for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24th, at 8:30 AM in the Gordon County Government Plaza conference room.
Led by Chairman Nicholas A. Sainato and Chief Appraiser Christopher “Ashley” Bailey, the board will convene to vote on the 2026 Notice of Assessments and Schedule Approvals. Tomorrow’s vote will officially set the baseline numbers before the final tax bills are calculated.
AdventHealth Gordon Earns Top Robotic Surgery Honors
In local healthcare news, AdventHealth Gordon has earned accreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery from the Surgical Review Corporation. The Calhoun hospital is now one of only seven facilities in Georgia to achieve this recognition. The designation highlights their commitment to providing advanced robotic-assisted procedures that offer surgeons greater precision and give patients faster recovery times.
Special Legislative Session Achieves Gridlock
When you call a meeting about nothing, usually, you get what you asked for. That includes Gov. Kemp’s special session, which has officially achieved absolute gridlock and zero results.
Originally called to redraw Georgia’s political districts, lawmakers abandoned the map-making plan almost immediately. Instead, the session quickly devolved into a partisan tax fight over a proposal to let local communities raise sales taxes to offset property taxes—a legislative showdown that failed to clear the required two-thirds vote after being labeled a gimmick.
But don’t worry, taxpayers are still footing the bill for this masterclass in political theater. This productive standstill is costing an estimated $40,000 per day, ensuring our state legislators still collect their $247 daily tax-free per diem for doing absolutely nothing.
Community Events: Farmers Market & Local Theatre Spotlight
As a quick community reminder, the Downtown Calhoun Farmers Market is open today from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the City Park, featuring local goods and fresh produce.
The biggest buzz in town this week surrounds the stage, as we were joined this morning by key members of the Calhoun Little Theatre production team, as detailed in handwritten log f41b832d-7187-43dc-be9a-
Rob Thompson – Director
David Smith – Band Leader
Luke Still – Playing the role of Jesus & Choreographer
Jeri Dunn – Music Director
The team dropped by to talk about their hit summer musical, Godspell, currently running at the Harris Arts Center. Audience reviews from last weekend’s opening performances were absolutely tremendous, with packed houses praising the energy, staging, and vocal talent of the local cast.
Godspell Synopsis & Musical Summary
Based primarily on the Gospel of Matthew, Godspell is structured as a series of parables brought to life by a small group of eccentric individuals. Through comedic timing, theatrical games, and improvisation, Jesus teaches the group lessons of kindness and tolerance, prompting them to gradually form a cohesive, loving community. The second act takes a poignant turn, tracing the narrative through the Last Supper, the betrayal, and the Crucifixion, leaving the community to carry the message forward.
The show features a legendary score composed by Stephen Schwartz, boasting an eclectic blend of musical styles that effortlessly bounces between folk-rock, pop, traditional gospel, and vaudeville. Audiences can look forward to hearing iconic, chart-topping theatrical hits performed live, including “Day by Day,” “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” and “All for the Best.”
Ticket & Performance Information
Don’t miss your final chance to see this incredible production before it closes. The final performances hit the stage this weekend on Friday, June 26th and Saturday, June 27th at 7:00 PM.
To Secure Tickets: Call the Harris Arts Center box office directly at 706-629-2599.
Online Booking: Secure your seats online at harrisartscenter.com or head straight to their custom ticketing portal at cltgodspell.eventbrite.com.