Search for new Madison County Chief Appraiser continues

“We need to have a meeting to decide how the board wants to go forth (on hiring a chief appraiser),” said new BOA chairman David Ragland, who added that the assessor board received an application for the position last Monday.

The board voted 3-1 Monday to name Rubio to the temporary post, with Larry Stewart providing the lone “no” vote. The assessor board also agreed to ask the county commissioners to consider an adequate compensation for the interim chief during her time of increased duties.

The hunt for a new assessor follows recent turmoil at the board of assessors’ table.

The BOA recently decided not to renew the contract of chief appraiser James Flynt. Earlier this month, Stewart recommended that former Twiggs County Appraiser Carey Lamb replace Flynt, but the assessor board denied the request by a 3-2 vote, with Stewart and Bob Fowler voting for Lamb.

Stewart and Fowler have now resigned from the board, though Stewart is serving on the BOA until the end of the month.

Stewart and the remaining three assessor members — Ragland, Samantha Garland and Jim Escoe — met in the county commission meeting room last Monday evening, with the meeting room table pushed close to the audience seats. A one-step platform is being constructed in the meeting room to provide better viewing for the audience.

The mood in the chilly room was coolly cordial.

While routine matters took up most of the meeting, the group also discussed a proposal by Escoe to alter board policy on handling additions to conservation use properties.

“We set a policy that if someone had a conservation parcel, and they needed to add adjacent land to it, they could survey it in and we could breach them without penalty if they would reapply for the whole thing,” said Escoe.

The assessor board member said that, in retrospect, allowing such a breach without penalty on conservation use is probably not a good policy. He suggested that the BOA alter its policy to be more in line with Department of Revenue standards.

Stewart said he appreciated Escoe’s “attempt to correct the policy,” but added that he advised the board when it set the policy last March that it was an “illegal policy.”

“The board was advised by myself at that time; this information was provided to the board, but the board chose to ignore it,” said Stewart, adding that the board waived two penalties, including one of $87,000 based on a flawed and “illegal” policy. “…The board cannot say that it did not know at the time that this was superceding state law.”

The BOA voted Monday to follow DOR policy on adding to conservation parcels.

“This is a process, ladies and gentlemen, when we find the board to be in error, we correct it,” said Ragland.

Stewart abstained from voting on the policy.

“I can’t vote to rescind something that was illegal to start with,” said Stewart.
Escoe and Garland both objected to Stewart’s statement.

“Let the record show that Mr. Stewart used the descriptive ‘illegal,’” said Ragland. “Allow the record to show that Mr. Escoe objects to the same.”

OTHER MATTERS

In other business, the board spoke at length about appraisal staff policies, such as appropriate protocol on handling taxpayer appeals to Superior Court. County attorney Mike Pruett advised the group that he should be forwarded all appeals instead of the assessor staff filing legal action with the Clerk of Superior Court. The group discussed appropriate requirements on handling homestead exemption applications, a duty recently passed from the tax commissioner’s office to the appraisal staff. The assessor board agreed to require either a driver’s license or birth certificate along with two pieces of mail to verify that an applicant for the exemption actually does live in the residence with the proposed exemption. The board discussed the possibility of using BOC equipment to record assessor meetings. They took no action on the matter, agreeing to study the cost of having someone on hand to operate the equipment.