Tuesday December 1st saw the first meeting of the Citizens For Fair and Open Government Group.
While this group wants to tackle all phases of Gilmer County Government and the Gilmer County School Board, Tuesdays discussion revolved around the Gilmer Tax Assessors Office and the way they are conducting business.
Several citizens got up and either made comments or ask questions.
Most of the comments were from citizens just wanting to thank the organizers for trying to form a group to help all citizens learn how to fight not only their assessments but what can be done to try and bring Gilmer’s county government into proper spending practices and not the wasteful spending that is prevalent today.
They are planning a couple of more meetings and several citizens have offered to help. Information is being compiled as we speak and the next meeting should clarify the direction this group wants to go.
If you want to help please call them or email to:
F. Dale Sparks @ 706-972-0004 or fdalesparks@aol.com
Michael Mull @ 706-669-8881 or mull_michael@hotmail.com
Another group trying to get the word out is the Gilmer Tea Party. Jack Smith chairs them and he can be reached at 706-635-3831.
Everywhere I go people ask me “Where can I go? What can I do? Who can help me?”
Those questions are now answered. All you have to do now is get involved.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Property Owner Whips Tax Assessor In Court
Lois Spence, with her attorney John Capo, took her property assessment all the way to Superior Court and won.
Ms. Spence owns a house on the river and her contention was that due to flooding her house is not livable and cannot ever be put back into livable condition. Structural Engineers testified that her house needed to be destroyed and another home built in its place.
The Board of Assessors fought Ms. Spence and stated she should be paying the full amount of taxes on her improvements even though she cannot live in the house.
Open records reveal that from 6/5/2009 to 9/23/2009, the Gilmer County Board of Assessors has spent almost $11000 to fight Ms. Spence. They also revealed on 9/21/2009 that the Board spent $1500 on a conference between the Board of Assessors lawyer and Tax Assessor personnel Dawn Pruitt, Stan King and Connie Smith regarding their testimony at the trial.
The Honorable Oliver Harris Doss, Jr., Judge heard the case #2007-SUCV-67 on September 21 to September 23, 2009 at the Gilmer County Courthouse.
Judge Doss ruled in Ms. Spence’s favor and it is not known if the Board of Assessors plans to appeal. Appeals will incur even more spending of taxpayers’ money.
All documents pertaining to Ms. Spence’s case have been placed here in a PDF format for citizen review.
It should also be known that since Ms. Spence won, her attorney’s fees are to be paid by the Gilmer County citizens. It was also discovered that 2 Gilmer Commissioners called Ms. Spence’s attorney, John Capo, and asked for a reduction in his fees.
Seems a little late for Commissioners to start showing an interest.
Commission Chairman Mark Chastain has made it clear to citizens that he cannot do anything with the Assessors department. He has stated several times that they are beyond his control. The Georgia Department of Revenue Code section 48-5-295 & 48-5-295.1 clearly states what the Commissioners can do. Does Chairman Chastain really not know or is he just trying to pass the buck?
Code Section 48-5-296 clearly shows what the citizens can do in the event that the Tax Assessors Board does not properly and impartially discharge their duties. It’s time to get these people out of office.
When the State Department of Revenue came in over 3 years ago they stated that Gilmer County needed to be evaluated equally amongst all its citizens. Right now today there is more inequality than at any other time in Gilmer County history.
As a side note it should be known that there are 8 more citizens that have filed to fight the Assessors in Superior Court and there are 12 other cases sitting in Chief Assessor Dawn Pruitt’s office that have yet to be filed. Come on Ms. Pruitt. These 12 people have paid their money. Why have you not filed on their behalf like you are supposed to do? Do your job.
Also there is a citizen that has written a letter to the Board of Assessors Chairman Jeff Holloway stating that he went to the Tax Assessors office and when he left Ms. Pruitt thought he was gone and to her office staff called this citizen stupid. Real class Ms. Pruitt. (This letter will be used in another story about the behavior of our Chief Appraiser).
At present there are 2 groups that want interested citizens to show up and learn how to fight the bureaucracy that is Gilmer County government.
One is the Gilmer Tea Party and their contact is Jack Smith at 706-635-3831.
Another is the Gilmer Citizens For Fair & Open Government and they are holding their first meeting December 1. Their contacts are Dale Sparks at 706-972-0004 and Michael Mull at 706-669-8881.
Call these people and let your voice be heard.
Ms. Spence owns a house on the river and her contention was that due to flooding her house is not livable and cannot ever be put back into livable condition. Structural Engineers testified that her house needed to be destroyed and another home built in its place.
The Board of Assessors fought Ms. Spence and stated she should be paying the full amount of taxes on her improvements even though she cannot live in the house.
Open records reveal that from 6/5/2009 to 9/23/2009, the Gilmer County Board of Assessors has spent almost $11000 to fight Ms. Spence. They also revealed on 9/21/2009 that the Board spent $1500 on a conference between the Board of Assessors lawyer and Tax Assessor personnel Dawn Pruitt, Stan King and Connie Smith regarding their testimony at the trial.
The Honorable Oliver Harris Doss, Jr., Judge heard the case #2007-SUCV-67 on September 21 to September 23, 2009 at the Gilmer County Courthouse.
Judge Doss ruled in Ms. Spence’s favor and it is not known if the Board of Assessors plans to appeal. Appeals will incur even more spending of taxpayers’ money.
All documents pertaining to Ms. Spence’s case have been placed here in a PDF format for citizen review.
It should also be known that since Ms. Spence won, her attorney’s fees are to be paid by the Gilmer County citizens. It was also discovered that 2 Gilmer Commissioners called Ms. Spence’s attorney, John Capo, and asked for a reduction in his fees.
Seems a little late for Commissioners to start showing an interest.
Commission Chairman Mark Chastain has made it clear to citizens that he cannot do anything with the Assessors department. He has stated several times that they are beyond his control. The Georgia Department of Revenue Code section 48-5-295 & 48-5-295.1 clearly states what the Commissioners can do. Does Chairman Chastain really not know or is he just trying to pass the buck?
Code Section 48-5-296 clearly shows what the citizens can do in the event that the Tax Assessors Board does not properly and impartially discharge their duties. It’s time to get these people out of office.
When the State Department of Revenue came in over 3 years ago they stated that Gilmer County needed to be evaluated equally amongst all its citizens. Right now today there is more inequality than at any other time in Gilmer County history.
As a side note it should be known that there are 8 more citizens that have filed to fight the Assessors in Superior Court and there are 12 other cases sitting in Chief Assessor Dawn Pruitt’s office that have yet to be filed. Come on Ms. Pruitt. These 12 people have paid their money. Why have you not filed on their behalf like you are supposed to do? Do your job.
Also there is a citizen that has written a letter to the Board of Assessors Chairman Jeff Holloway stating that he went to the Tax Assessors office and when he left Ms. Pruitt thought he was gone and to her office staff called this citizen stupid. Real class Ms. Pruitt. (This letter will be used in another story about the behavior of our Chief Appraiser).
At present there are 2 groups that want interested citizens to show up and learn how to fight the bureaucracy that is Gilmer County government.
One is the Gilmer Tea Party and their contact is Jack Smith at 706-635-3831.
Another is the Gilmer Citizens For Fair & Open Government and they are holding their first meeting December 1. Their contacts are Dale Sparks at 706-972-0004 and Michael Mull at 706-669-8881.
Call these people and let your voice be heard.
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