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Commissioners hear taxpayers

• A large group of taxpayers brings concerns to the Dougherty County Commission.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — A standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 angry taxpayers crowded the board room at the Government Center Monday morning, there to complain to Dougherty County Commissioners about what one called “your illigitimate tax revaluation.”

Speaker after speaker came forward to complain about the revaluation that, even with a 3/4-mill tax rollback approved by the commission, will amount to higher taxes for many county taxpayers.

“You tell us taxpayers that we have to tighten our belts,” retired educator Yvonne Reese said. “Well, we’re here to appeal to this commission to tighten your belts. At the rate we’re going, pretty soon many of us are going to be taxed out of our homes.”

Fred Carter drew applause from the audience and the ire of the commission when he, after giving specifics of Commission Chairman Jeff Sinyard’s and Commissioner Jack Stone’s personal tax assessments, said, “I’m ashamed of the leadership of this county.”

While the taxpayers cheered amid shouts of “Me, too!” Sinyard rapped his gavel angrily and called for order.

“Sir, you can say what you want about this process, but do not insult my integrity,” Sinyard said. “I am an honest man.”

Stone, who emotionally addressed the taxpayers about his personal tax situation before the public hearing portion of the meeting was closed, later addressed the same issue.

“I’ve been on this commission 21 years, and I’ve always done right by the people of Dougherty County,” he said. “When somebody gets up and makes a statement like what was made here this morning, I get real upset. When you doubt my honesty and integrity over mine and my family’s belongings, you’re calling into question the integrity of my family.

“I don’t appreciate what was said this morning by Fred Carter. If he or anyone else is going to talk about my property, they need to tell the whole story. I’ve worked too hard to be questioned by someone like him. And as far as I know, every person on this commission is as honest as the day is long.”

Stone saved his strongest words for last.

“For myself or this commission to be called dishonest, I don’t appreciate that worth a damn,” he said. “I didn’t by any means mean to embarrass the other members of this board, but I would say the same thing again if it happened again.”

Businessman Richard Thomas, whose Concerned Taxpayers of Dougherty County group had distributed “No Taxes” placards to many of the people assembled, received a standing ovation after a lengthy oration that included a list of five demands from the taxpayers.

“You are stewards; you are trustees,” Thomas said. “Unless you abandon this illigitimate tax revaluation, it will become your legacy. And it will be our legacy, for we will find candidates to challenge you who will take a common-sense approach to government. We will support them, and we will fund them well.”

Thomas said his group had used the business adage of “what will it take to make you happy?” to come up with a list of challenges for the commission.

“No. 1, use a little common sense and get rid of Tyler Associates (which conducted the revaluations),” he said. “They did that in Macon when the taxpayers there refused to accept an unfair revaluation. No. 2, put a 3 percent (increase) cap on tax appraisals from year to year.

“No. 3 — and you folks are going to love this — give senior citizens a school tax exemption. No. 4, demand from the district attorney’s office the banishment of repetitive criminals from the county, and, No. 5, stop the frivilous spending of taxpayer money. Let’s get some return on our dollars, spend money on infrastructure not some useless arch that looks ridiculous.”

Thomas said his group “would give the county a pass” on what he said was $3.9 million in “missing money from the school system’s lunch program” after being told the commission had no say over school system matters.

“If that was one of our businesses, there would be FBI and GBI and every other kind of agency down here investigating,” he said. “It’s been two years since those funds were unaccounted for, and the school system still doesn’t have an answer as to where the money went.

“This frittering away of our money has got to stop.”

Julie Scott, who is a military veteran and whose husband served in Iraq, warned commissioners that the fiscal practices of the county were driving the wrong people away.

“When my husband came back from Iraq, all he wanted was a piece of dirt he could call his own,” she said. “I wanted to come here because I wanted our children to experience the small-town feel of growing up in a community like Albany. Now, with this tax revaluation, it looks like we’ll have to consider moving.

“I have respect for the senior citizens here today, but we’re the kind of people you want staying here. The Marine Corps, the Realtors here in town, they’re encouraging people like us to look for property in Lee County. If we leave, all your money is leaving with us.”

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