Faced with tax deficit, county to take look at property values (complete article from source)
Source: Courier Herald, by Andrea Castillo
August 23, 2007
Property values listed on parcels in Laurens County are too low, causing a deficit between taxes collected and taxes owed, said Kim Bryant, chief appraiser of the Laurens County Board of Tax Assessors at Tuesday’s meeting of the Laurens County Commissioners.
In 2006, a review year for the tax digest, the counties had been taxing properties at a rate of 35.42 percent, according to an audit of 275 sales in 2005. The rate is usually 40 percent, though it can go as low as 36 percent or as high as 44 percent.
Now, the county owes the state $35,000.
The problem comes in the discrepancy between the recorded values of the 29,000 parcels in county records and those of the state.
Bryant said the commercial ratio was among the lowest in the county, and officials would need to reevaluate the value of rural land as well. These would need to be completed by the next review year, which is 2009, and it would be no small task.
“We need help to get things in order,” Bryant said.
Commissioner D.M. Mullis said the situation was problematic, especially since the tax digest values affect school boards and public utilities.
Richard Whitworth of Dublin, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, raised his concern over the fact that the county does not require building permits on properties. Whitworth also owns property in four other counties in Georgia.
“With no building requirements, it’s hard to keep up with the property value without it,” he said.
The commissioners also approved a rural fire grant of $111,000 to purchase fire equipment, namely, breathing apparatuses and equipment to locate and identify people trapped in houses. The county agreed to provide $12,000 in matching dollars, as well as a grant from the federal government for $8,220 to provide educational literature on hazardous materials.
Afterward, they approved a 500-foot extension of the runway at Dublin Airport to begin next spring. The state will provide 75 percent of the funds for the project, and the county will provide up to $157,000 in matching estimates. The extended runway, which meets FAA standards, would allow bigger jets to take off from the airport.
In addition, the commissioners approved unanimously to increase monthly retirement pay from $20 per year of service for at least 10 years of service to $30 a year. For example, under the new law, a commissioner who has served for 10 years will receive $300 instead of $200 previously. The measure will not be effective until January 2009. They also voted to raise their monthly reimbursement checks from $400 to $600 to cover added expenses such as increased gas prices. This measure would have a fiscal impact of $18,000.
In other business, the commissioners:
•approved the meeting minutes for Aug. 13;
•signed a proclamation for Heart of Georgia United Way Day to celebrate the contributions United Way agencies have made in the community, on Aug. 29;
•signed a proclamation for Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, which will be observed throughout September;
•approved a request by the City of Dublin for equipment and labor for a DOT contract;
•adopted a DOT resurfacing contract for roads around Southeast Paper.
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