A multi-ethnic crowd of somewhere around 200 Dougherty County residents gathered together for the open meeting of the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association to discuss issues that were on their mind, and there were plenty of them.
Co-Chair Richard Thomas covered a little bit about the group’s history, how they formed up shortly after what they term as the illegal reassessment of property values in 2006 (coincidentally, at the height of the real estate market when values were at their highest). However, Thomas focused a fair amount of his time on the uneven taxation from property taxes, pointing out that Dougherty County has somewhere around 97,000 residents and yet there are only about 15,000 property owners who shoulder much of the burden. Thomas commented “why can’t we make them do what’s right without suing them?”
Of the issues discussed, few were unheard of to those who follow local news and politics, though the details may be new. For example, Thomas points out how Dougherty County has a County Attorney who makes about $10,000 per month, yet they hire attorneys from out of town at the tune of $400-$500 per hour. Needless to say they’re not exactly fans of this practice, since it’s the taxpayers who end up paying for a County Attorney and the high priced hotshots from out of town.
Hilliard Burt, a local attorney who has been handling the lion’s share of the legal needs for the group, referred to local residentes being “whipsawed” by the combination of excessive taxation and wasteful spending. Burt said that while the 2006 reassessment was supposed to make property taxes more “equitable”, there has been no downward adjustment during the current devaluation of so much real estate.
Burt claims that the ad valorem tax is unconstitutional since it is unequal taxation. In addition, several states have already done away with ad valorem. In particular, Texas killed the tax back in November of 2005.
Next, Tim Coley recounted his battle with the city starting with how he has no problem with downtown development, just how it’s being done. In particular, the idea of taking on $6 million in debt so that Don Buie (who has plenty of problems on his own) needing it so he can negotiate behind closed doors, with no oversight until the deed is done. The bond is nicknamed “Buie’s Secret” since Buie claims that he needs to be able to negotiate in secret to keep property values from increasing due to competition. In addition, the bond will be secured with a 3 mil tax increase, meaning that Dougherty County property taxes would increase 3 mil should the city default.
Coley ran down the idea of subsidizing private development, instead wanting the free market to kick in and take care of business…literally! He asks that citizens contact their city and county commissioners and the city manager and to let them know how they feel.
Thomas points out how downtown redevelopment could cost as much as $155 million.
Money wasn’t the only issues that the group tackled either. Consolidation, and the lack of government movement on the issue, was also discussed. Also on the agenda was the sign ordinance that city commissioners unanimously agreed yesterday needed overhaul. “That’s because of you,” says Thomas while addressing the crowd.
One guest was local attorney Phil Cannon, who Thomas described as the “hero of the week” in launching the investigation into the allegations of Don Buie taking a kickback. Cannon said that the “road of truth is lonely”, talking about how few will stick their necks out. Cannon feels as though he only did what was right by reporting what looked to him like a crime instead of covering it up as he alleges many city officials have done.
One hurdle the group has, according to Thomas, is a lack of funds. Everything from legal fees to mailings cost money that the group doesn’t have. Asking for money was lamented, but necessary according to several group members.
An open forum rounded out the evening where such diverse issues were brought up, ranging from a need for state funded drug rehabilitation to corruption at all levels of government. One criticism was a perceived lack of media scrutiny by the major media outlets in the region. Several people stood up and pledged to join the group and to bring friends to the next such meeting.
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