All Madison County properties will soon be photographed through the air with high-resolution cameras.
Madison County commissioners approved a contract with Pictometry, an aerial photography company, by a 3-2 vote Oct. 10. Commissioners Stanley Thomas, Mike Youngblood and Dewitt “Pete” Bond voted in favor of the photography, while commissioners John Pethel and Jim Escoe voted against it.
Gary Steele of “Pictometry” aerial mapping first met with commissioners July 8 to go over the details of the system, which carries a price tag of approximately $30,000.
“It allows you to take a virtual walk around the county,” Steele said, adding that the software can be used to measure the height of a tree or building, the size of a body of water, and other such detailed information. “This is some of the same technology used in guidance technology such as cruise missiles. We can pretty much ‘mow the lawn’ up to a mile outside the county.”
Commissioners were told the software could be used not only for tax appraisal purposes, but also integrated into emergency and public safety services for use by law enforcement, 9-1-1, EMS and fire departments.
For instance, with the photography, dispatchers will be able to call up images of an accident locale to alert responders about what’s in the area.
Commissioner Youngblood made the motion to approve the Pictometry contract. He suggested the board use $5,000 from the planning and zoning budget and $20,000 from the tax assessors’ office for GIS (Geographic Information System) services.
Chief appraiser Robin Baker said photos of the county would be taken during the winter when leaves are off the trees and more of the county is visible through the air. The photos could be available from Pictometry sometime in March or April, he said.
Pethel asked Baker if the aerial photos would relieve the assessors’ office of any work.
“Actually it may add work,” said Baker. “If we find areas where people have things on the back of their property that haven’t ever been picked up (by onsite appraisers), gates that have been locked, we have to go out and pick them up (add them to the digest). I can’t say it’s going to reduce anybody’s workload. If it does what it’s supposed to do, it shouldn’t reduce our workload. It should add to the digest.”
Pethel adamantly opposed the contract.
“Have you had anybody come in and say they’re paying too much taxes now?” asked Pethel. “What do you think people are going to say when they find out they’re going to have to pay another $35,000 to find out if they’re going to have to pay more taxes? Plus, there’s going to be extra costs for E911 and extra costs for Gary (Venable, the county’s IT director) with software.”
Pethel urged the board to show some “common sense.” He said if there’s money in the budget for Pictometry, then that money didn’t need to be in the budget to begin with.
“At a time like this, I think the board needs to use some common sense and forget about this,” said Pethel. “… And one day after the flyover, it’s obsolete, it’s not good anymore.”
Baker, who said an aerial photography flight hasn’t been conducted for the county since 1997-98, said the aim is not to increase people’s taxes, but to make things fairer.
“It’s not that we’re trying to make anybody pay more taxes, but we want to make sure that everyone in the county is paying their fair share.”
Pethel said he agreed with paying a fair share.
“But at a time like this, when people can’t pay their taxes, here we are trying to spend more taxpayer money to charge more taxes when they can’t pay them,” said Pethel. “It’s ridiculous to stand up here and say we’re going to spend another $35,000, $40,000 or $50,000 of taxpayers’ money to see if we can find somebody who’s not paying enough tax … It’s ridiculous to even talk about spending this money.”
Pethel said Elbert County recently shot down the Pictometry proposal and that Madison County will be the lone county in northeast Georgia with the system.
Other commissioners said the system won’t just point out properties that aren’t being taxed enough. It will alert appraisers of mistakes that go the other way — in a property owner’s favor. Baker noted that he frequently appears before the BOC to seek refunds for homeowners who were mistakenly charged too much and that the system could help bring such mistakes to light.
“So it could work both ways,” said Youngblood. “It could help them or it could hurt them.”
Pethel asked Dove for his opinion.
“In my opinion, it’s a good tool to have,” said Dove. “Do we have to have it right now? No, we don’t have to. It’s up to the board on what they want to do.”
Commissioner Thomas said that people who constructed buildings without proper permitting are essentially evading taxes. He noted that some major properties have been off the books in the past.
“I remember this board took a stand that we had back taxes that hadn’t been paid on people in five years,” said Thomas. “I remember this board asking Louise (Watson, tax commissioner) to get those back taxes collected. Because those were taxpayers who weren’t paying their taxes. A person who builds a major building on his property and it’s not reported, or permits are not gotten for that building, in my eye, that’s just as bad as people who are not paying their taxes. If I build a swimming pool on my property and don’t get permits, or go in and put a major building or barn on my property, then it should be taxed like everybody else. That’s the whole thing about property taxes. It should be fair and equal for everybody. It shouldn’t be that some beat the system cause it’s hid, and some don’t.”
Commissioner Escoe said the county can go after such properties without Pictometry.
“I found numerous properties not on the digest,” said Ecoe to Baker. “And I found them on my computer through your programs.”
Escoe said he can also get on the Internet and use programs to look into his own garage.
“And it didn’t cost me a penny,” he said. “I just don’t think there’s a substitute for on-site appraisals.”
Baker responded: “And we’re not trying to substitute for onsite appraisals.”
The chief appraiser said Pictometry is an aid in improving fairness.
“It’s an expensive aid,” responded Pethel.
From the "Pictometry License Guidelines:"
"the Pictometry imagery can only be used
for town business purposes. A consultant or public citizen’s request for general imagery
would not be considered town business. The public or consultant may only obtain copies
of images that have been previously prepared by the town for use in reports, PowerPoint
presentations, or meeting handouts."
So, Madison Co. Clean & Beautiful won't be allowed access. Nor will any "riverkeeper" style non-profit group. Nor will any private citizen or group of private citizens trying to protect streams, rivers, roads, you name it. So, we the taxpayers are paying $30,000 - $50,000 for images WE WILL NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO USE!
I doubt the commissioners who voted for this are even aware of this because they did not do remotely enough research.
The first Google Earth photo of my house in Sandy Springs caught me sunbathing on what I thought was my very private back yard deck; and it was very private from any regular point of viewing. Fortunately, my deck reflected enough light to over-expose that area and it was hard to make out much detail on me.
I think there are privacy issues with this system and I would like to be able to see an example of the functioning of this Pictometry. The public should have had more access to and explanation of this; perhaps the salesman should have made a public presentation and still should.
This is a perfect idea! Such might put all this misinformation to rest and reveal what went on outside of public view with Gary Steele.
Google Earth, get the exact same thing, er, wait, BETTER.....FOR FREE!
We have some real knuckleheads on the commission with ZERO knowledge of widely available technology. And when you're relying on THE SALESMAN for your info. and answers, well, WHAT KIND OF INFO AND ANSWERS DO YOU THINK YOU GET? Riiiiiiiight.
Wow. "Pictometry" laughing all the way to the bank with OUR MONEY.
The BOC don't have the money to fix the roads in this county BUT they agree to spend $30,000. for pictures from an airplane? Unless they plan to sell them to some Tree Huggers porn magazine the pictures are of no use to this county.
If there were bales of money available, Pethel would vote against the use of a County truck to go pick them up.
This is not a live satellite feed from outer space. Click and it is what it is. Seconds later things will be changing and the image taken becomes obsolete.
Paying for something that is already available for free, as is happening here, is one of the most egregious wastes of money I've ever seen from any Board of Commissioners.
Let's hope they can undo this big, expensive mistake.
I am trying to understand how this can benefit this county ? Especially at this point in time.
Doesn't Google Earth have winter view's of this area? I know I have seen a Google Earth view of my home . So why can't they use that? My question to all the commissioners is this... Exactly how much and what kind of research went into this before the vote was made to approve it?
YOU probably voted for OBAMA yourself you dang ol' tobacco chewin' pickup drivin' ingnoramus because you don't understand how them high falootin' votin' machines work
for the love of god, i hate america
Hey if we get rid of these worthless folks(since we have these such great pictures) Just send them Text messages saying "YOU ARE FIRED". It worked for the Mayor of Danielsville to do it WHY can't it work on a county level?
Two necessary qualifications should be an understanding of computer tech and how to use a computer, and how to use the internet to do basic research. I mean, we wouldn't hire an employee to work for the county without him/her AT LEAST having those basic skills. We should establish some basic requirements for the job of Commissioner so we can weed out some of these less than competent individuals BEFORE they muck up our local government and waste our tax dollars.