Saturday, March 27, 2010

“Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike (Telluride Daily Planet)” plus 3 more

“Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike (Telluride Daily Planet)” plus 3 more

Planet Election Guide: Property tax hike (Telluride Daily Planet)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 08:57 AM PDT

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Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Senate votes to eliminate state property tax (Rome News-Tribune)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 06:48 AM PDT

ATLANTA — Senate Democrats managed to thwart an attempt to establish a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the state's portion of the property tax, but lawmakers passed a bill in favor of the effort.

Senate Republicans passed the bill version in one of the last votes of Crossover Day, the day bills must pass a chamber of the Legislature to remain active for the current session.

The constitutional amendment failed 31-15, but the bill was passed 31-14. Sen. Bill Heath of Bremen, the bill's sponsor, says the state's homeowners need financial relief in the down economy, which is also crippling Georgia's budget.

Georgia currently levies an ad valorem tax on all property as a component of local property tax bills. The state millage rate is a quarter mill. Removing the state ad valorem tax will not affect counties, cities or school funding. The tax would be banned once state reserve funds reach $500 million.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Cherokee, Forsyth property tax appeals down (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 03:11 PM PDT

By Christopher Quinn

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Homeowners in Cherokee and Forsyth counties have appealed their property tax valuations at a much lower rate than the year before, a surprising development for county officials.

The number of property tax returns mailed early by homeowners contesting the values of their homes set by tax assessors is noticeably down from last year. An assessment determines the amount of taxes a homeowner pays.

A week before the April 1 return deadline, Cherokee County has received fewer than 750.

"Last year, being the first big year of the recession, we had about 4,000 people," said Cherokee Tax Assessor John Adams, who received those appeals prior to April 1.

Forsyth was busier than Cherokee, but still showed signs of slowing, said county Assessor Mary Kirkpatrick said.

"The total we had last year was 5,142 by April 1," she said. As of last Tuesday, her office had received only 1,825 returns, with maybe 300 more from new subdivisions waiting to be entered.

"We were really surprised," Kirkpatrick said. "Right now, it looks slower than last year."

During the growth years, Cherokee and Forsyth counties would receive several hundred returns a year. As housing prices fell, interest in appeals went up from homeowners looking to save tax dollars.

Adams and Kirkpatrick speculated the drop in returns this year has been caused by homeowners previously filing appeals or perhaps waiting for new valuations.

New assessments will be mailed in late April and May. Every homeowner in Cherokee gets one. Only homeowners whose values change in Forsyth receive an assessment. They can appeal their valuations 45 days after the assessments are mailed to them.

That also is a critical time for county governments and school boards. When assessments are finished, county commissioners and school board members receive their first hard budget estimates. Like most agencies that depend on taxes, they expect shortfalls from last year.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

1-mill property tax renewal on next Saturdayâs ballot (L'Observateur)

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 11:32 PM PDT


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Thank you for your comments!

    H Cannon wrote on Mar 20, 2010 12:58 PM:


Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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