Are The Property Assessments Realistic?????
I have spoken with several dozen people about their new property assessment and not a single person I have spoken with has seen a decrease in their assessment.
While some property owners have seen their tax liability go down some that is the result of the state mandated reduction in the tax rate.
Here is a couple of interesting things about the current tax rate that some may not know. It is controlled by the County Executive and the Commissioner. They can raise or lower it as they choose. The legislative Body of the county even has authority for the state to freeze taxes paid by certain citizens as in the senior tax freeze that the county refused to adopt.
The other thing, which is less well known but I suspect will soon become a much discussed issue, is the authority to apply to the state as a "hardship" case and seek an exception to the rule and be allowed to raise property taxes even in this reassessment year.
The questions every property owner needs to ask themselves is, can I sell my property for the assessed price; have I made significant improvements to my property to justify this increase; based on the criteria used to assess the property is this increase justified; would a bank or other lending institution actually lend me the money to buy this property at this price? When I looked at my property the answer to each of those questions was a very clear, no.
When I looked up every piece of property in my neighborhood not one single property had maintained the same value it had in 2005, every piece of property in my neighborhood had fallen in value. When I looked up various properties around the county every piece of property had lost value since 2005. The tax assessor is on record as saying, that there was a lot of property that was undervalued in the past and my question to him is whose fault is that. Should citizens pay a penalty because the tax assessor didn't do his job properly?
I will be going before the Equalization Board and I urge everyone else to get an appointment and challenge these unrealistic assessments.
The thing to keep in mind is while your tax bill may have gone down a bit this year the stage is being set for a big increase next year if not sooner.
While some property owners have seen their tax liability go down some that is the result of the state mandated reduction in the tax rate.
Here is a couple of interesting things about the current tax rate that some may not know. It is controlled by the County Executive and the Commissioner. They can raise or lower it as they choose. The legislative Body of the county even has authority for the state to freeze taxes paid by certain citizens as in the senior tax freeze that the county refused to adopt.
The other thing, which is less well known but I suspect will soon become a much discussed issue, is the authority to apply to the state as a "hardship" case and seek an exception to the rule and be allowed to raise property taxes even in this reassessment year.
The questions every property owner needs to ask themselves is, can I sell my property for the assessed price; have I made significant improvements to my property to justify this increase; based on the criteria used to assess the property is this increase justified; would a bank or other lending institution actually lend me the money to buy this property at this price? When I looked at my property the answer to each of those questions was a very clear, no.
When I looked up every piece of property in my neighborhood not one single property had maintained the same value it had in 2005, every piece of property in my neighborhood had fallen in value. When I looked up various properties around the county every piece of property had lost value since 2005. The tax assessor is on record as saying, that there was a lot of property that was undervalued in the past and my question to him is whose fault is that. Should citizens pay a penalty because the tax assessor didn't do his job properly?
I will be going before the Equalization Board and I urge everyone else to get an appointment and challenge these unrealistic assessments.
The thing to keep in mind is while your tax bill may have gone down a bit this year the stage is being set for a big increase next year if not sooner.
posted by Allen Barrett | 7:40 AM
93 Comments:
For those of you who are interested, the proposed Giles County Home Rule Charter provides the following:
1) Immediately enact the tax freez for senior citizens, which the County Commission passed but the County Executive refuses to enact.
2) Voter approval for any new taxes; such as a wheel tax.
3) Voter approval for any property tax rate increase. If the County Commission and the County Executive are able to present a logical and meaningful reason that the property tax rate needs to be increased; I would like to assume that there are sufficient number of citizens who would agree and vote for such an increase. The current Commissioners say that they represent their citizens; if so, why are there more people against increased taxes that are for them? It seems that some of the currnt Commission are totally out of touch.
To allow a body of officials to have full and uncontrolled use of our hard earned funds is not wise. The current County administration has proven time and again that they do not have fiscal responsibility and it is now time for the citizens of Giles County to take back control of their destiny, future, and finances. Otherwise just turn your bank account over to the Financial Director. I am sure that she will have your best interest at heart.
http://www.city-data.com/county/Giles_County-TN.html
According to the website above, the median home value in Giles County increased from $74,700 in 2000 to $117,627 in 2009. This site has a ton of good info. about the county. It looks like prices have gone up quite a bit.
My house would sell for more that the assessment value.
Thanks,
DAW
DAW are you bragging or complaining?Who cares what your house is worth.
I am simply answering the question that Barrett asked. I would say that he cares, since he wanted to know. I also care because it is such a large investment.
Thanks so much,
DAW
A home in which one lives should not be considered an investment, but rather shelter. Invest in your community. That is where benefits will abound.
Uuuuuuhhhh....really, Apple Pi??
WAB,
Did you get those numbers of homes in your neighborhood from TN Tax Map or Zillow.com? Also, I just bought my house in 2009, when was the last time there was an assessment overhaul? Have you looked at the prices of farmland these days? You have to be fairly wealthy to purchase much acreage. I don't think you can consider the sale of forclosed homes into the equation. Banks are trying to dump them to get them off of their books.
Thanks,
DAW
Apple Pi has it right. Imagine what kind of quality of life you will have if your kids went to lousy schools, if you encountered homeless & panhandlers on every street corner, if you were afraid to drive through the bad neighborhoods at night, etc. There's already been two meth labs on the town square!
Maybe you (8:56) never leave your property and have everything delivered by UPS?
Any time I mention that I live in Pulaski, the first thought that comes to the other person's mind is the KKK -- and that's over 100 years old! That's our legacy, like it or not.
Nothing's going to change here as long as we have our current batch of county commissioners who seem to raise or impose taxes & assessments on a whim. They make their own rules, and when called on the double standard, drawl "whaddaya gunna do about it?"
Invest in the community if you want to change it.
Investing in the community comes from paying taxes so that the county and city have enough money to function properly. How many people opposing a tax increase give money through charity?
DAW
DAW
Good point. It's either have the money to fund needed services or those services go away. In a day and time when everything is increasing in cost, why can't those who keep complaining see this? I dislike taxes myself, but they are a necessary evil.
DAW
This is recent info that I have found,during the 4th Quarter of 2010, Tennessee Home Prices had a rank of 37 with
appreciation of -1.03%.
Also a (-) appreciation rate for the last 12 months as well as 2009. I am sure the date form 00-09 would show major changes that was the time from of the "housing bubble." Some economist say the market did not reach bottom until 2010. You must include the foreclosed houses because they do have an adverse affect of property value.
On a side note you are one of the only "conservatives" I know that defend a tax increase.
4:18,
That is some good information. However, I think you would need to narrow it down to just Giles County. Land values have not decreased. The majority of property in Giles County is farmland. All of TN would include urban areas that have been hit the hardest.
Being conservative is far more about lifestyle and beliefs than taxes. At some point you have to raise taxes. Most, not all, peoples income increases over time to cover the cost of living. Government should be no different. Their costs go up too.
Thanks,
DAW
So DAW are you supporting the fact and the collective actions of the County Executive and Commission having reduced the surplus fund balance from $6.5 million (in 2004) to approximately $100,000.00 today by over budgeting to the tune of $1 million per year? How many "average citizens" do you think are aware of this financial fact? I would dare say theat less than 1,000 people who reside in Giles County are aware of this.
Have you ever heard any Commissioner, to include your grandfather, admit that the past six year's budgets have been "balanced" by absorbing funds from the "rainy day fund"?
Now this rainy day fund is depleted and the Commission cannot just slide funds from one fund into another. Also if the Commission holds the 2012 buget to the exact same funding level they had in 2011 they will be approximately $1.2 million in the hole. No wonder thet are anxious to find another source of funding.
If they do not get the needed funding from a wheel tax and they are not willing to wait until next year to raise the property tax rate; I am willing bet that they will acquire funding from the Hospital Fund. It is hard to ignore $15 million just sitting there waiting to be used.
Your thoughts please.
Respectfully,
Jack Heath
Mr. Heath
What are your sources for the outragious "facts" you are stating? How dare you imply that the County Commission would deplete any emergency "rainy day" fund just to balance an average year budget. I live in the 3rd District and have the highest regard for my Commissioners. I know that they would never do such a thing without disclosing it to us.
I hope that DAW is able to shut you down with the truth.
7:12 Have you been living under a rock. JVZ and the commission have been operating on an unbalanced budget for a some time. I hope that this county can survive long enough to elect a decent county executive.
Jack,
First I would ask a question about overbudgeting. When is level of service at a point that you would say that we are overbudgeting? Is the county doing more than is necessary for the citizens? I guess the answer is up to the individual. Now I know that the county has depleted the "rainy day fund", but I also realize that they are trying to offer the same level of service that has been given to us in the past. I am not saying that money can't be saved in areas. What I am saying is that much money can't be saved.
Barry Hyatt told my grandfather that with the highway budget, as it sits, he would only be able to pave or repair 22 miles of road this year. That is down from 100 just a few years ago.
You see, it is like a double edged sword for the commissioners. If they raise taxes they will catch it from the citizens. If they decide to keep balancing the budgets year after year with the same level of revenue, people will start throwing a fit because of potholes in their roads, or the Ambulance broke down on the way to the hospital. My grandfather said that he gets more calls about road conditions than taxes.
I was told that we would have to borrow the money to make up for the losses in the budget. According to the finance director, we are not running the same budget for 2012 as we did in 2011. That is where the loss of service comes in to play.
I know that some commissioners have been asking about dipping into the hospital money. I will tell you that I know for a fact that my grandfather and the Finance Director stand adamantly against using that money. When interest rates go back up, that will be a very good source of revenue for the county. That is when you could also see breaks for senior citizens on property taxes, if we have a wheel tax and the interest revenue.
Sincerely,
DAW
Is the county doing more than necessary for their citizens the answer is NO what the county is doing is more for those in charge. How many people are working in Vanznnts office could they get by with just one less and work a full forty hours a week?
Why is there still a secretary at the ambulance office when the county pays a collection agency to do the billing and the medics fill out all the info on sight? Why is the county paying from Judge Damron's niece to be a second secretary for him? Why is a custodian driving a county truch all over the place using county gas? What special benefit is the county getting by paying over 500 dollars for each employees health insurance per month? Why is the county paying more for property and vehicle insurance than surrounding counties that are bigger?
Why did the highway department but luxury trucks instead of basic ones? Why did highweay dept drive those luxury trucks to Gatlinburg then charge the county for milage?
The county ain't benefiting any where as much as some in the county government. If those people could be trusted maybe we wouldn't feel so distrusting of them.
DAW
The commissioners voted down a tax freeze for senior citizens when the county had a rainy day fund in the millions so why would that vote change in the future? A rainy day fund of that magnitude will never happen again while we have Vanzant in office.
It is not the finance director's purogative to make any decisions about the hospital money, and your grabndfather is only one of 21 commissioners, maybe some others feel differently. Why don't you ask grandpappy why the hospital money is left at First National only bringing in around 1% interest when the state law says the money MUST be invested to bring in the biggest yield in a non-rick investment? You and I both know there are places that money could be invested now to bring into the county much needed funds.
9:10,
So are you at least agreeing that the county needs funds? If so, we have a positive start to debate how it can be done. I will ask my grandfather about the money being at First National Bank.
Thanks,
DAW
Whee,I've read so much my head is spending.
For the one that asked if anyone against taxes if they ever gave to charity... I'm always hearing of a benefit for someone in Giles county,so looks like some do.
I know this isn't the place for this next post but here goes.
Is Whitworth Drive in city or county?
I've noticed three or four places where a large section of the road has been tore up. One place not patched, but the other patches are not as good as before.
Did the water, sewer or telephone company tear it up? Who ever tears up a road should replace it as good as it was before they messed with it.
I always thought that a county tax on gasoline was the best way to fund the roads of that county. That way, those who drive more miles or heavier vehicles - thus incurring increased wear and tear - pay their fair share. A flat wheel tax is unfair to those who make an effort to drive less or use a lighter and more efficient car. I know some will say "People will just go to the next county over to buy their gas then", and that may be true, but only if it is convenient to do so.
Regarding the proposed Wheel Tax, fifty dollars is not all that much money to me, but I have a problem handing it over to a group of "managers" (the commission & exec) who have failed to run the county successfully within budget in recent years. It is going to require some sweeping reform to clean house and set things straight, and I'm hoping the upcoming vote for the County Charter passes as a start. I'm all for it.
ApplePie, You said it! I might add people traveling threw or visiting will help pay the tax if they buy gas here.
DAW @ 9:28 PM
I do not intend to debate with you. I am also not saying the county needs funds. What the county needs to do, and should have done over the past four years or so, is to cut some budget line items and stop creating more unnecessary expenses. Too often Ms Vanzant has presented some new expenditure that she announces as state 'mandated' yet no one, including Jack Wooarded, asks to see the written mandate and so the commissioners vote to fund, and just take Ms Vanzant's word for it. As far as the investing of the 'hospital millions', again I repeat, State law requires idle funds to be invested where it will get the highest return, in non-risky investments. I further understand the State has an investment pool where these funds could sit and bring in extra money to the county. Surely you yourself, would not deposit your investments in a friend's investment company that only yielded you 1% interest when you could deposit those same funds in a national/international fund that would bring you 4 - 4 1/2% interest.
11:19,
If it is State Law, why isn't someone bringing this to their attention to make them do something about it? Seems like the state would jump in if they were notified? I assumed that you were agreeing when you said " would bring in the county much needed funds".
DAW
This was posted by DAW on 21 May at 8:35 AM.
“http://www.city-data.com/county/Giles_County-TN.html
According to the website above, the median home value in Giles County increased from $74,700 in 2000 to $117,627 in 2009. This site has a ton of good info. about the county. It looks like prices have gone up quite a bit.”
Sorry, but the website you posted is not only out of date it is severely skewed. For example it shows Giles County having a steady growth in population since 1970 and one need only look at the U.S. Census to understand that fallacy. On average every farm in the county is 141 acres the problem with averages is they tell you little about the realities. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter but on average it’s not so bad in fact on average it’s a waste to operate either an air conditioner or a heater as the temperature is in the mid to high seventies. The big farms that have sold have created an unrealistic average price for real estate.
A more appropriate website is “Zillow” and “Trulia” as they use actual listing and selling prices to determine the value of real estate instead of the value placed on real estate by tax assessors. You can put your home on the market for any amount you choose, you can tell everyone your house is worth a million dollars but the real dollar value is found only in what someone else is willing to pay you for it.
Anyone who has read a newspaper or watched a news report in the past few years knows what has happened to the housing market. There are some places like Palm Coast, Fl. where the housing market is booming but it’s also booming with increased population. Giles County has fallen behind in population and showed a growth of 38 people since the 2000 census. Average price per square foot is down 11.1% and the number of sales is down 64.7%. Selling price of property is down overall but there is certainly some who have over paid for their land. An example may be on Clear Creek Road were five acres was sold for $10,000.00 on 1 Dec 2000 then three months later the same place was sold for $13,000.00 on 7 April of this year that property with a house on it sold for $135,000.00 but it was only valued at $115,000.00. It’s like going to Wal-Mart and begging them to sell you a gallon of milk, marked at three dollars, for five dollars.
It’s interesting that you state “the median home value in Giles County increased from $74,700 in 2000 to $117,627 in 2009. If you go back to the last assessment in 2005 you’ll see that the median home value dropped from over $150,000.00. If you want to really make a statement about home values go back to 1960 when the median home value was less than $30,000.00 and you can support a huge increase by today’s market, only problem is it’s such an unrealistic number. A top of the line Chevy in 1960 cost less than $3,000.00 how much does a top of the line Chevy cost today, over thirty thousand and if that 1960 Chevy has been taken very good care of it’s worth 25 to 45,000.00 today.
I agree with Howard's excellent post on 22 May at 9:08.
There is much money that could be saved that is not benefiting the county at large and Howard makes some excellent points.
While I am skeptical of international
investment funds I continue to be amazed that some commissioners preferred keeping the hospital money in a CD making 1% and borrow money for the wastewater treatment plant at 4%. It's that kind of backward thinking that prevents so much good from happening in this county.
http://www.zillow.com/howto/DataCoverageZestimateAccuracyTN.htm
The site above shows how accurate Zillows data is for Giles County. This is information from their own site. You can read the percentages on the top of the table to see how close they get to zestimating a house in a certain area.
Thanks,
DAW
To DAW.
Nothing is 100% accurate not even the tax assessor. "A Zestimate home valuation is Zillow's estimated market value. It is not an appraisal. Use it as a starting point to determine a home's value. Learn more."
"Note: Zestimate accuracy is computed by comparing the final sale price to the Zestimate on or before the sale date. The data herein is computed for the three-month period ending December 31, 2010.
The home data we have compiled to generate a Zestimate home valuation varies by location. Some counties provide all the data we could hope for, but others are lacking such key things as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, or, in some cases, the square footage of the home. The more data we have, the more accurate the Zestimate."
I guess you missed the part about "Trulia". It's very seldom I ever rely on only one source of information.
To date I have found nothing other than greed to support the idea that the selling price of property has increased over the 2005 values. If you have please share them with us but please make sure they are not tax assessor based.
WAB,
If I read correctly, the only thing Zillow can offer for Giles County estimates is the assessor's value. Maybe you should erase that as ONE of your sources. It also allows people to edit their own info. We both know how accurate that can be.
Thanks,
DAW
DAW @ 2:12 PM
The 'somebdy' ought to be your grandpa since he is a commissioner. He should be aware of that law if he bothers to read his CTAS handbook. Maybe you could borrow it, read it to him and maybe we could see some action re the 'hospital money'?
8:13,
Tell me who you are so I can contact you after I read it.
Thanks,
DAW
DAW
I have no interest in personal contact with you.
After you read it with Jack Woodard, why not post your discussion and his reason for the money being held at First National Bank instead of somewhere with a better interest yeild on this blog for everyone to read?
9:32,
His number is 527-3156, you should call him tomorrow and he can explain it to you. Then you can post it on here. You can call from a restricted number if you want to remain anonymous. I am sure that people would hold your word more credible than mine. I will tell him to expect the call.
Thanks,
DAW
DAW
I already know what the law is. If you recall, it is you who needs to learn and as you refer to your grandfather and his knowledge frequently you, you SHOULD call him. And thanks, I already had his phone number but never use it as its like talking to a brick wall.
DAW
In case you haven't figured it out, this little group just wants to point fingers, call names, and find fault. Just be thankful that most people do not read this blog.
11:42,
Are you a commissioner?
DAW
DAW at 6:32
Anything is possible - but who knows?
If so, I think I know which.
DAW
DAW
You woukld be wrong - again!
The fact is that assessors' values do not, and have never, reflected anything close to market values. In a study that I did in another jurisdiction in TN, I found that assessed values were generally about 25% below market values, and this was last year, so already in a depressed market. Trying to equate assessed values to market prices is silly. If the assessors did "mark to market" your property taxes would go up by that 25%, so what are you complaining about?
The real question is where does our overall taxation stack up compared to other places? You can't just look at property taxes in a vacuum. Most other places have income taxes, while we make almost all our revenues off of property and sales taxes. The real question is "what is the overall tax burden?"
It may interest you to know that Tennessee in general has the lowest government spending per capita in the country, the 3rd lowest tax burden on income, and the 4th lowest tax burden per capita.
So why all the complaining? What every happened to the spirit of all chipping in to make our communities a better place, and our childrens' futures brighter? How did we get so mean-spirited?
As I told someone the other day when they were amazed at how little tax we pay, "We save a lot of money by not educating our children!"
2:57,
Very well put. Thanks for the info.
DAW
2:57 What a slam on our teachers. I think they do a goo0d job.
Not education our children who ever heard.
Would you please tell me how it helps educate our children hiring so many people to do the job Allen Parker use to do.
Does the state get a share of our property tax?
When a state has an income tax do they share with the counties?
I don't know is why I'm asking and hope someone that does know will answer.
2:57 you must have been standing in the rain this morning because you are all wet when it comes to taxes. I have paid taxes on my income to the state of Tennessee every year for the past ten. Have you never heard of the Hall Income Tax? You might also want to take a look at the median income of people in Tennessee as compared to New England or California. We also continue to have an unemployment rate in the double digits her in Giles County.
If you want to pay more taxes there is nothing to prevent you writing a check to the state or county or city any time you want to.
I resent paying more taxes because the money isn't being used for what it is taken for. Gas tax money by law goes for roads right, not hardly, the money has been used for every thing from golf courses to zoo upkeep.
Money that should be used to educate our children is being spent on huge salaries for administrative personnel (classroom teachers suffer with an overload of work and are under appreciated under paid) and baby sitting after school.
I'm sick of watching parasites playing the system while many hard working honest citizens are trying as hard as they can but can't get any help because all the resources have been sucked out of the system by the parasites who sit home watching Oprah and smoking dope or drinking booze.
What does New England or California have to do with anything? Have you checked the cost of living in those states?
DAW
GTC says to DAW ... Good Evening DAW
Have you had the opportunity to look at and digest the proposed budget cuts presented to the Budget Committee last week????
Other than the Rescue Squad and the County Library; every other non-profit organization got cut to ZERO dollars; to include the Senior Citizens Center, Boys and Girls Club so on and so on.
The total cuts is approximately $635,000.00. That still leaves them approximately $900,000.00 short of balancing the budget for 2011
Your thoughts please.
GTC
The 2:57 poster stated "It may interest you to know that Tennessee in general has the lowest government spending per capita in the country, the 3rd lowest tax burden on income, and the 4th lowest tax burden per capita" to support their idea that more taxes wouldn't be so bad and we should welcome them. Last time I checked New England, New York and California were still a part of the country but of course that could have changed.
I have not seen those numbers and the source from which they come so I will be somewhat skeptical until I do.
===================================
To GTC
All the work that was done making cuts Tuesday was wiped away today in the budget committee when people started to whine about how they would be so over worked if they didn't get everything they asked for. Next Tuesday another budget committee will meet but with out any strong leadership the expectation is very low as to what they will accomplish.
If they are going to be over worked, quit, there are a lot of people looking for a job.
Check this site to see how much cheaper property taxes were in Giles county than the other counties in 2008.
http://www.comptroller1.state.tn.us/pa/LR.asp?W=08
To 9:38
In 2008 Giles County had the seventh highest property tax rate in the state. Property values were lower so the total revenue from the tax was lower. It was very easy for people to compare the tax rates and see that they were being over taxed. The idea now seems to be raise the property appraisals so there is no easy way to make comparisons, while bringing in more revenue with can be declared a lower property tax rate. It's all smoke and mirrors and it's the citizens who pay the bills that are being fooled.
How many of those counties that have lower property taxes have a wheel tax or some other form of tax?
DAW
WAB,
You said that it was very easy for people to compare the tax rates and see that they are being overtaxed.
I guess by that logic, one county could work up a budget, then every other county in TN could run off it. I bet our commissioners do not realize it is that simple.
You need to compare apples to apples. Sometimes it is better to admit that you may be wrong rather than keep trying to argue and dig a bigger hole.
DAW
DAW
The simple fact of the matter is that all department heads have been asked to trim their budgets as much as they can, but that just doesn't seem to suit some people.
Hastings (quitting) at GCHS
2:08 Rumor or true? Thanks
2:08
Doesn't Mr. Hastings have a right to retire?
6:59 Does no one have a right to ask a question but you? They could of just been wondering if he was retiring, nothing bad was said about Mr. Hasting.
Last day is June 30. TRUTH!!!
I hope he enjoys retirement.
Katie,
I bet he will.
I think there's going to be a mass exodus of teachers from the school systems because of government interference. Perhaps they are trying to run the old teachers off, thinking the new ones will go along with all the mess the government will impose. They tried that with nurses several years ago and should have learned a valuable lesson then. What will they say when there's a sudden shortage of teachers? Will the government offer incentives to get the good ones to come back?
My goodness DAW have you now become more motivated to criticize than seek the truth.
I notice when you ask a question you expect an answer but when you are asked a question you somehow manage to pass it by and when you get an answer you tend to ignore any response to it. Hummmmm, mighty interesting.
You stated to, "WAB, You said that it was very easy for people to compare the tax rates and see that they are being overtaxed.
I guess by that logic, one county could work up a budget, then every other county in TN could run off it. I bet our commissioners do not realize it is that simple."
I believe that I was discussing the matter of property appraisals vs the tax rate as which was the easier to understand. Simply reading my statement without any preconceived notions would render the matter totally void of all fruit and the simple statement that compared to the property appraisal the property tax rate is much easier for most to understand.
Now There is a vast difference in the revenue that comes into a county and the expenditures that a county commits itself to. Nothing in my statement was referencing expenditures that could possibly have led you to such an out of touch assumption.
The total amount of revenue that comes into the county is not limited to only property taxes, however expenditures can be compared with those counties of comparable size and one can see vast differences in such things as Insurance, Ambulance, Schools even the amount of government travel authorized. I hope this helps clarify the statement I made and you criticized about the ease with which comparing the property tax rates are as compared to the difficulty for property assessments. Thanks
If Mr Hastings is retiring, I do not know if this is so, I wish him well in a well earned retirement. GCHS is not an easy place to work and an even more difficult place to maintain control. All things considered I appreciate his efforts in a thankless
job with little possibility of being 100% successful.
WAB,
You said that "it is very easy for the people to compare the tax rates and see that they are being overtaxed".
How is it that a person can see that they are being overtaxed by that chart? They can't.
What questions have I not answered?
Thanks,
DAW
It wasn't long ago that you were giving all the teachers and students down the road at GCHS. Now, you are praising Hastings and
"his efforts in a thankless
job with little possibility of being 100% successful." That is strange coming from a man who wants everyone to be faultless and completely successful in his/her job.
Sounds like you finally realized the difficult job teachers and administrators have today in dealing with the public, parents, and students. I am shocked at you obvious change of heart or thought about GCHS and Hastings.
10:54
Your post is commendable, but don't forget one very important lesson. Never try to pet a copperhead; it will turn on you.
To the 1 June 10:54 poster.
When have I described all the teachers anywhere as less than heroes in the classroom?
Absolutely I have criticized the administration as I have praised them at times. Did Mr. Hastings do the job with 100% satisfaction of course not but he did the job I believe as well as he could and I do wish him well in his retirement so what's the big deal.
I never said teachers or administrators didn't have a hard job, we all have hard jobs and we get compensated for those jobs. Some are over compensated while others seem under-compensated. Because of the socialist pattern of unions people are not compensated based on their contributions but for simply being there which takes away much of the incentive for some teachers who eventually tend to show up put on a movie and go gossip for an hour. Last I checked slavery was outlawed so no one is being held in a job against their will.
Now here's a sad fact, I have never seen anyone take their car down to the garage and say everything is running perfect change it. Human nature and common sense dictate that man complains when things aren't running perfect.
Now getting back to the subject of this thread. Today it was announced by a state agency that property values in the stated had declined another 2% and Giles county was among those leading the way in the decline.
Mr. Barrett
Perhaps now would be a good time for you to sell your house and move somewhere else before property values drop even further.
3:28 Do you need me to help you pack so you can move away from the county Mr. Barret's in. If you dislike him so, you move.
4:08
I wasn't the one griping about property values. I was just trying to help him "out".
Sorry, but I'll not need your help. I plan on staying right here in Giles County in spite of all the corruption and wrongdoings certain people constantly harp on.
7:22 No I don't think you care how high property taxes go, but if you don't want to hear what Barrett says, thought you might want to move away from him.
I don't plan to move either even if Giles County does have a lot of people like you in it.
To the 3 June 3:28 PM poster.
I'm confused by your post. You say, "Perhaps now would be a good time for you to sell your house and move somewhere else before property values drop even further".
I thought according to you and your gossip buddies that property values were doing great not dropping. The tax assessor said the property market was "booming" and that was causing the property values all over the county to increase. So are property values dropping according to the state, federal government and housing authorities around the state and country or is the property values increasing? I'm kind of having trouble understand why so many home are being foreclosed on and so many others are on the market for more than a year without selling?
Oh, just so you can sleep at night
if I decide to move anywhere I'll make sure you're the first one notified.
Barrett
Rest assured that many of us will indeed be praying for your swift departure.
What happened to praying for a person's well being are is that just something you expect Barrett to do?
We will be praying for the well being of Giles County by asking for a swift departure.
I just browsed through a property sales brochure covering Columbia, Spring Hill, Lewisburg, Chapel Hill, etc and was very surprised to see properties every bit better than what you find in Giles county, yet they are priced much, much less than here, a community that is in a depressed state due to unemployment, yet housing is so much more expensive in Giles. Anyone any idea why we are so much higher?
Because of the Gazebo coffee club and smokers rail at the courthouse along with those who enable the legal thievery.
You are right about legal thievery. But how do we put a stop to it?
5:00 that is a lie. Until you show some proof, you have no credibility. I am pretty sure that you will show no proof, because you can't.
Mr. Barrett we haven't herd how your appointment with the Equalization Board went. Should we go too?
Did anyone get their assessment lowered? We did several years ago.
Didn't go this time.
I know someone who got their property taxes lowered. Their app. was 12,000 dollars higher than a neighbors that had the exact same house and the state lowered his.
Wonder why the house was appraised at $12,000 more than it should have been to begin with? Who made that judgement call and why?
The appraisals seem to have been done the people sent down from Nashville. He was the one who conducted the discussions about challenges and he was the one who lead the Equalization Board in their decisions.
Here's the thing I have a lot of trouble with. There has been only one property sold in my neighborhood since 2009, there are several that have been up for sale for more than a year each having reduced the asking price by a considerable amount. I, as did many others in the neighborhood received higher appraisals, mine was 6% over the last one. I challenged the appraisal and went before the Equalization Board not realizing each member was appointed by Mrs Vanzant. The man from Nashville gave his justification for the increase conveniently leaving out the one property that had sold in 2010. After being told by a member of the Equalization Board that they could do whatever they wanted with my property I realized the deck was stacked by the puppet-master. Instead of the 6% increase I was given a 16% increase and told I could challenge them in Nashville but It would cost me and it would take about a year maybe two before they would even hear the case.
Vindictive is the word that best describes the situation and still meeting the criteria for posting on this blog.
That is why I have been saying that sometimes it is best to be quiet. It seems that it would also be best to hear both sides of the story.
DAW
It seems as though what Mr. Barrett is not telling you is that for years he has been getting a break on his taxes because of a flooding basement. He made repairs to the basement to stop the flooding but failed to tell the assessors office of the repairs until the day of the Equilization board meetings. So moral of the story is for years he is getting a break and now he wants to cry about the corrections the board made.
A woman who works in the tax assessor's office had her taxes go down.
Taxes only go down if you are the right people. Taxes are being used as a punishment for those not viewed as friend.
6:11 How do you know about the basement flooding and the repairs being done?
Work in the courthouse maybe?
I didn't know you could get a tax break for that.
People talk! Not only on the blog but on the street too!
gossip seldom gets the facts right and drunks never get the facts right
Sounds like someone loves gossip.
Sounds like to me when someone tells the truth on here they get bashed! Why is that? Are all of these lies legal? When you call someone out by name and make accusations they better be true or they could become a legal issue and yes we can find out who you are! We voted Mcgill in not once but twice. So we can only blame ourselves!
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