Madison County’s tax rate will remain the same this year. But the government’s tax revenues will drop.
County commissioners approved the annual “millage rate” Monday for levying taxes on county properties. The group has the option of raising the rate to generate more revenues for the government, but the board voted 5-0 Monday to keep the tax rates for 2012 the same as last year.
The county tax digest, or overall property value, is down 13.7 percent, from roughly $599 million to $517 million.
And county officials anticipate the decrease leading to a significant budget shortfall for 2013. The county will bring in $958,240 less in local property taxes this year than last, a drop from roughly $7.6 million to $6.6 million.
Madison County projects an estimated $5 million in reserve funds at the end of 2012. So, the board will look for expenses to cut, but it may also choose to use reserves to cover a portion of the shortfall in 2013.
County tax rate approved
TAX DIGEST SIGNATURES
In other tax-related matters Monday, commissioner Jim Escoe voiced concerns that the documents submitted to the Georgia Department of Revenue related to the county’s digest included the signature of Robin Baker with the job description of “Board of Assessor Chairman.” Baker is the county’s chief appraiser, while Ralph McCay serves as the BOA chairman.
Escoe said the documents are thus incorrect and that he doesn’t want the BOA to relinquish its authority on the digest to the chief appraiser. In 2009, the BOA gave the chief appraiser the authority to sign several documents on the board’s behalf, including “any document necessary for digest submission.”
“I don’t like sending paperwork to Atlanta that doesn’t read like it’s supposed to,” said Escoe, who added that the Department of Revenue will accept the documents, even if they’re inaccurate.
BOC chairman Anthony Dove said the assessors are willing to do whatever is necessary to alleviate concerns by commissioners.
Escoe said the BOA members are getting $200 a month “for 15 minutes of work,” adding that the BOA chairman gets $300 a month.
“It’s occasionally OK to delegate responsibilities, but I have a problem when an oversight board delegates its responsibilities,” said Escoe.
Dove said the BOA budget is “about half what it used to be.”
Escoe, now the District 5 BOC commissioner, formerly served on the BOA. He and fellow members Larry Stewart, David Ragland and Samantha Garland were removed by the county commissioners in 2009. BOC members removed the authority, maintaining that the group failed to get a digest done or put forward a recommendation for a chief appraiser in a timely manner.
Stewart, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination for the District 2 BOC seat in July, took the podium Monday to voice concerns about the current BOA.
“Regarding the signatures, they (the BOA) are making $700 (total per month) for 15 to 20 minutes of work,” said Stewart. “It’s not unreasonable to expect him (the BOA chairman) to sign documents. The board should consider appointing someone who takes the job seriously.”
Stewart said taxpayers are “getting the short end of the stick on this digest.”
“The taxpayers are accepting crumbs from the table on this,” said Stewart. “They (the digest numbers) didn’t go down to reflect the real world.”
Stewart said this year’s digest was not completed on time and that when the last BOA failed to complete one on time, they were removed.
“We have a mess and we can talk and talk, but all it does is fall on deaf ears,” said Stewart.
He suggested that property owners consider a class action lawsuit against the county.
“That’s the only way anything is going to get done,” he said.
Both Escoe and Stewart also said they don’t think conservation use laws are being applied correctly. The Georgia legislature approved a bill this past year that strips all acreage requirements from conservation use applications. However, those with small tracts seeking a conservation use exemption must provide paperwork to prove the land is actually being used for agricultural purposes.
The board agreed to have county attorney Mike Pruett look into the matter.
As Stewart left the podium, commissioner Mike Youngblood asked him whether he was removed from the BOA. Stewart said that he was. Youngblood asked Stewart whether the BOA completed the digest on time when he served on the board. Stewart said that it wasn’t. Youngblood asked Stewart if the current BOA has been getting the digest done in a more timely manner.
Stewart said it has, but he added that it doesn’t take much time to “rubber stamp” a digest. He said he was committed to getting it done right.
“The current BOA is working off the digest we left three years ago,” he said.
BOA chairman McCay was not at the commissioners’ meeting Monday, but when contacted this week, McCay said the board of assessors is working to do things in a timely and accurate manner.
“Our priority is to get the digest out on time and to get things as correct as we can get them,” he said.
McCay said that tax bills should go out on time this year and that property owners have received their bills on time for the past four years. He added that appeals on tax assessments went down from roughly 900 last year to between 500-600 this year.
“Anytime we can reduce appeals from one year to the next I feel we’ve done something right,” said McCay. “We have a great staff and they’re doing a great job.”
HWY. 29/HWY. 98 INTERSECTION
In other matters Monday, the board heard from Dove, who reported that the county, the city of Danielsville and Sen. Frank Ginn met with the Department of Transportation officials last week to discuss the intersection of Hwy. 29 and Hwy. 98. Local leaders have long cited the need for turn lanes at the intersection, since one car trying to make a left turn can back up traffic for considerable time. The turn-lane project was included in the T-SPLOST plans that voters rejected July 31. But local leaders are still trying to get turn lanes at the intersection. And Dove cited the meeting with the DOT as a positive step.
“Kudos to the city of Danielsville and Sen. Ginn for putting that forward,” said Dove.
Part of the complication for the project is moving utilities at the intersection. Still, Dove said he’s confident the project will move forward. He said Ginn and Representatives Alan Powell and Tom McCall support the project.
“We have an active state delegation and I’m very confident we’ll at least have a chance to get this done.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other matters, the board learned about a proposed Coast2Coast Rx Discount Card. The county commissioners are considering a prescription discount card that could be used by Madison County citizens to purchase discount medicines. Local pharmacist George Elrod took the podium Monday and urged the board to be wary of such proposals. He noted that numerous prescription discount cards are already available and that the companies pushing the cards often gather private information about customers and then sell it. He noted that he doesn’t accept the cards and that they often don’t actually lead to savings for customers.
The board also agreed Monday to allow bid openings Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. the public meeting room for a retention pond fence at the new soccer complex. The fence around the pond is seen as a public safety measure.
County attorney Pruett has worked on updating county codes. And early next year, all county ordinances will be available for public viewing on the county’s website.
The board heard from county planning and zoning administrator Linda Fortson, who said the county is now doing an annual Short Term Work Program (STWP) instead of a five-year comprehensive land use plan. The program, conducted by the planning
In other tax-related matters Monday, commissioner Jim Escoe voiced concerns that the documents submitted to the Georgia Department of Revenue related to the county’s digest included the signature of Robin Baker with the job description of “Board of Assessor Chairman.” Baker is the county’s chief appraiser, while Ralph McCay serves as the BOA chairman.
Escoe said the documents are thus incorrect and that he doesn’t want the BOA to relinquish its authority on the digest to the chief appraiser. In 2009, the BOA gave the chief appraiser the authority to sign several documents on the board’s behalf, including “any document necessary for digest submission.”
“I don’t like sending paperwork to Atlanta that doesn’t read like it’s supposed to,” said Escoe, who added that the Department of Revenue will accept the documents, even if they’re inaccurate.
BOC chairman Anthony Dove said the assessors are willing to do whatever is necessary to alleviate concerns by commissioners.
Escoe said the BOA members are getting $200 a month “for 15 minutes of work,” adding that the BOA chairman gets $300 a month.
“It’s occasionally OK to delegate responsibilities, but I have a problem when an oversight board delegates its responsibilities,” said Escoe.
Dove said the BOA budget is “about half what it used to be.”
Escoe, now the District 5 BOC commissioner, formerly served on the BOA. He and fellow members Larry Stewart, David Ragland and Samantha Garland were removed by the county commissioners in 2009. BOC members removed the authority, maintaining that the group failed to get a digest done or put forward a recommendation for a chief appraiser in a timely manner.
Stewart, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination for the District 2 BOC seat in July, took the podium Monday to voice concerns about the current BOA.
“Regarding the signatures, they (the BOA) are making $700 (total per month) for 15 to 20 minutes of work,” said Stewart. “It’s not unreasonable to expect him (the BOA chairman) to sign documents. The board should consider appointing someone who takes the job seriously.”
Stewart said taxpayers are “getting the short end of the stick on this digest.”
“The taxpayers are accepting crumbs from the table on this,” said Stewart. “They (the digest numbers) didn’t go down to reflect the real world.”
Stewart said this year’s digest was not completed on time and that when the last BOA failed to complete one on time, they were removed.
“We have a mess and we can talk and talk, but all it does is fall on deaf ears,” said Stewart.
He suggested that property owners consider a class action lawsuit against the county.
“That’s the only way anything is going to get done,” he said.
Both Escoe and Stewart also said they don’t think conservation use laws are being applied correctly. The Georgia legislature approved a bill this past year that strips all acreage requirements from conservation use applications. However, those with small tracts seeking a conservation use exemption must provide paperwork to prove the land is actually being used for agricultural purposes.
The board agreed to have county attorney Mike Pruett look into the matter.
As Stewart left the podium, commissioner Mike Youngblood asked him whether he was removed from the BOA. Stewart said that he was. Youngblood asked Stewart whether the BOA completed the digest on time when he served on the board. Stewart said that it wasn’t. Youngblood asked Stewart if the current BOA has been getting the digest done in a more timely manner.
Stewart said it has, but he added that it doesn’t take much time to “rubber stamp” a digest. He said he was committed to getting it done right.
“The current BOA is working off the digest we left three years ago,” he said.
BOA chairman McCay was not at the commissioners’ meeting Monday, but when contacted this week, McCay said the board of assessors is working to do things in a timely and accurate manner.
“Our priority is to get the digest out on time and to get things as correct as we can get them,” he said.
McCay said that tax bills should go out on time this year and that property owners have received their bills on time for the past four years. He added that appeals on tax assessments went down from roughly 900 last year to between 500-600 this year.
“Anytime we can reduce appeals from one year to the next I feel we’ve done something right,” said McCay. “We have a great staff and they’re doing a great job.”
HWY. 29/HWY. 98 INTERSECTION
In other matters Monday, the board heard from Dove, who reported that the county, the city of Danielsville and Sen. Frank Ginn met with the Department of Transportation officials last week to discuss the intersection of Hwy. 29 and Hwy. 98. Local leaders have long cited the need for turn lanes at the intersection, since one car trying to make a left turn can back up traffic for considerable time. The turn-lane project was included in the T-SPLOST plans that voters rejected July 31. But local leaders are still trying to get turn lanes at the intersection. And Dove cited the meeting with the DOT as a positive step.
“Kudos to the city of Danielsville and Sen. Ginn for putting that forward,” said Dove.
Part of the complication for the project is moving utilities at the intersection. Still, Dove said he’s confident the project will move forward. He said Ginn and Representatives Alan Powell and Tom McCall support the project.
“We have an active state delegation and I’m very confident we’ll at least have a chance to get this done.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other matters, the board learned about a proposed Coast2Coast Rx Discount Card. The county commissioners are considering a prescription discount card that could be used by Madison County citizens to purchase discount medicines. Local pharmacist George Elrod took the podium Monday and urged the board to be wary of such proposals. He noted that numerous prescription discount cards are already available and that the companies pushing the cards often gather private information about customers and then sell it. He noted that he doesn’t accept the cards and that they often don’t actually lead to savings for customers.
The board also agreed Monday to allow bid openings Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. the public meeting room for a retention pond fence at the new soccer complex. The fence around the pond is seen as a public safety measure.
County attorney Pruett has worked on updating county codes. And early next year, all county ordinances will be available for public viewing on the county’s website.
The board heard from county planning and zoning administrator Linda Fortson, who said the county is now doing an annual Short Term Work Program (STWP) instead of a five-year comprehensive land use plan. The program, conducted by the planning
What was done was actually illegal. According to open records laws, the budget must be submitted before July so they can be posted for the public to see.
Please listen to Mr. Elrod! While it seems a nice idea, it simply isn't. Furthermore, such arrangements seem outside the scope of government responsibilities.