I hope the local newspaper will put this in the newspaper for all to see. If They will not do this please let me know. I think I will take it to the GOP and ask them at committee meeting to pay for it if we cannot get it for free. So please get as much as we can for free so we can save the money for the bigger issues just around the coner. I have said in the past that there is to much waste. We can go to the old County Court house and see the employees wasting time. I have some photo's and we need more. I would like to let the commission know what kind of BS is going on. They look like a bunch of roaches running for cover when someone comes in the door. Try the back door close to the tax assessors office they stand in the hall way until someone comes in. The registars office is two years behind and need extra help because they will not do the work they are being paid to do.

C. R. Davis, Sr.

I find the most interesting figures here are the Net Tax Increases. A decrease from 2004 to 2005 is good. Notice that the city did not collapse. Then we start with increases from 2005 on. This is definitely a problem. And just think we had some councilmembers wanted to raise the millage rate even higher after the state told them anything over 5.2 was an increase. Higher taxes plus increase in service costs, this is getting out of hand. I just hope our citizens are paying attention.
It'll be interesting to see which councilmembers vote against Larry Johnson's proposal at the next council meeting.

Article Thursday May 7 , 2009 Georgia Times Union . Law freezes property assessments…Property assessments cannot rise until 2011 under a bill signed by Gov. Perdue , May 6 , 2009 . Supporters say the new law will prevent local governments from hiking assessments during an economic downturn that has driven many property values down . Critics say it could lead counties and cities to boost millage rates instead , meaning tax bills will rise either way .
The new law is effective right away to commercial and residential properties . The moratorium applies to tax bills for 2009 to 2011 . Assessments can go down during that period meaning foreclosures and the depressed real estate may still cause some property values to dip ." We've got a real estate melt down in this state that is helping to fuel an economic down turn , the bills sponsor State Rep. Ed Lindsey (R) -Atlanta , said . This provides some stablity ."

But Clint Mueller , legislative affairs director for the Association of County Commissioners in Georgia , said the new law could have a " chilling effect " on reassessing properties generally . Cash strapped counties could forgo hiring costly outside contractors to perform reassessments if they know it will only drive their revenues down , he said . ( Assessors were hired here from AUGUSTA and they raised our assessments this year , how did this happen ?)Our values should not rise in this economy . ) That could lead values to remain stagnant , even in cases where they should decrease . . Lindsays bill was one of the few to win approval . Georgia Republicans had pushed for a constitutional amendment that would have limited to 3% the amount by which residential assessments can rise every year . The bill fell short of winning the needed two-thirds majority in the House . GOP leaders are expected to try and push the measure through again next year . Lindsay said he fully expected that without the ablility to raise revenue from rising home assessments some counties would hike their millage rates instead .
But it forces local governments to deal with taxpayers honestly and transparently and if they are going to raise taxes they are going to have to look taxpayers straight in the eye and say so ….. We need to make sure when the 3 percent cap per year comes up for a vote again that we hold our government officials accountable . The fact that we are fighting property assessments that are out of line with the economy and fair market value means we must get to the bottom of this . No more wateful spending by any form of government . We are awake and we are watching . It is not business as usual . Liberty of Tyranny ?? This is a wake up call . Those of you who are prayer warriors stay busy .