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Nov 07, 2009 (Laurel Leader-Call - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- After 20 years of operating in Beat One of Jones County, the equipment and building of Home Cable Entertainment was sold Friday to local residents in a tax sale.

Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge formally announced the sale on the steps of the Jones County Courthouse in Laurel.

The Jones County property owned by a Louisiana-based cable company was sold to the highest bidder, being Cable USA which is owned and operated by James Clark and Mike Rivers.

Officials said Friday's sale was the result of several unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement with Home Cable Entertainment, owned by Leland Dennison of Louisiana.

The Jones County Board of Supervisors formerly sold the property located on Hamilton Hill Road in the Shady Grove community to some local residents.

Home Cable serves about 114 homes mainly in the Beat One area of Jones County.

Although supervisors pulled the franchise of the cable company earlier this year, Beat One Supervisor Johnny Burnett said Home Cable customers are still receiving service at this time. He doesn't know when service will end.

However, Burnett said a change was needed.

"The county's decision to sell the property comes after years of failed attempts to get Dennison to address customer concerns," Burnett said. "Since Hurricane Katrina, the company has just failed to honor the county's request to provide service to the customers in the area. They never would respond or come to any of the board meetings to address our concerns or do anything that was being requested."

Due to this lack of response, the board of supervisors requested that Jones County Tax Assessor Ramona Blackledge research the property. Blackledge later informed supervisors that the company owed thousands in taxes.

Officials said according to records dating back to 2001, the Tax Assessor's Office discovered that Home Cable owed the county over $19,000 in taxes.

Wayne Thompson, attorney for the board of supervisors, said Home Cable was informed of the need to pay its taxes. However, no taxes was ever paid.

"The Board of Supervisors is appreciative of Tax Assessor Ramona Blackledge and her office for their work on helping the county determine what it was owed and Attorney Wayne Thompson for handling this matter," Burnett said Friday at the close of the sale. "If it had not been for the fine records of the tax office, I don't know if we would have been able to get our money."

Thompson said after Blackledge's office determined the amount owed, the tax assessor on Oct. 16th issued an execution of judgment notifying Home Cable by certified mail and publishing a notice in the local newspaper of the taxes due and the pending sale of the property for default on those taxes.

Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge "just carried out the directions of Ramona Blackledge's office, which was to sell the property," Thompson explained.

"In this unique situation, the law allows us to sell the property for the last seven years of taxes," Thompson explained. "The total amount of taxes for these years is $19,268.62, and today's (Friday's) sale recoups those taxes. ... The county got back all of the taxes due for those years with the sale of the property."

On the steps of the courthouse, officials of Cable USA presented county officials a check for $19,268.62 for the sale.

"Most importantly is that it will be a local company helping local people," Burnett said. "We want to be able to take care of the people's needs."

James Clark with Clark's Mobile Homes and Mike Rivers, a local businessman, said they are looking forward to working with their neighbors in this new business endeavor.

"It will be like servicing our community," Clark said. "They are our neighbors."

Rivers agreed.

"I live in the Shady Grove Community and I will actually be connected to the cable service," Rivers said, adding that he has a lot of experience in operating a cable service. "I've been in the cable business all of my life."

Rivers said he once had half-ownership in Scan, a cable company which serviced the Sandersville area. He said Scan later sold out to Northland, which later sold out to Comcast Cable.

Burnett said he is pleased with the recent sale.

"I feel very relieved," the supervisor said Friday. "This is just good news. ... I hope this new company does good service to our community."

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