Jones Sets New Millage, Answers Outcry Over Tax Hike

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Sole Commissioner Robert Jones signed a resolution Wednesday morning, September 12th, approving a millage rate of 6.65. The new rate is lower than the 6.9 rate proposed last month, intended to pay a $400,000 settlement from a lawsuit with Young Life of Texas over wrongly appraised property. The settlement is due January 15, 2013.Jones heard a torrent of criticism over the increase during three public hearings held in August. During the third hearing, Citizen John Miller encouraged the other citizens to sign a petition demanding the department heads to cut their budgets, so taxpayers would not have to pay the settlement, which was in fact $656,000 due to an overestimation of the budget. The citizens then signed the petition, which was then submitted to Commissioner Jones. That meeting was August 31st.

This week, Jones issued an open letter to the citizens of Pickens County addressing the complaints. Click here to see the letter. During a called meeting Wednesday morning, Jones read the letter to the room-full of taxpayers. Before reading the letter, though, he called all public officials to the front of the room. The officials accompanying Jones at the table included, Appalachian Superior Court Judge Brenda Weaver, Magistrate Judge Allen Wigington, Sheriff Donnie Craig, and District Two Commissioner Elect Becky Denny.

In the letter, Jones explains that the correspondence generated by the commissioner’s office does not accurately describe the expenditures of the officials. Here, he gave the example of Judge Weaver. The correspondence attributed $978, 710 to Weaver’s office. Weaver, however, shares these expenses with Judges Bradley and Mercier. He went on to explain that the officials are good stewards of taxpayer money, citing Judge Wigington as an example. Jones said that in 2011, Wigington had a budget surplus of $50,000 and in his 2012 budget, a surplus of approximately $30,000, all of which, Jones said, went back to the taxpayers.

Jones added that he has asked all of the elected officials to look at their budgets for the remainder of the year to see if their budgets can be cut to avoid a millage increase.

“County spending will change next year,”

he said,

“You have asked it to be decreased and it will be decreased.”

He warned, though, that in light of these spending decreases, county services will not be at their current levels next year.

“My understanding from the comments made to me over the past few weeks,”

he said,

“ is that we are willing to spend a little more time in line to pay our property taxes and we are willing to wait a few more days for a building inspector if that means our property taxes don’t increase.”

He ended by saying the elected officials are committed to making sacrifices for the common good and that they will work together to do so.

Some citizens, however, were disappointed in the meeting. Regina Hayslett said she was disappointed that citizens weren’t allowed to comment, explaining that some citizens did not come to the other hearings. Hayslett, though, said she was not disappointed with the result of the meeting. Paul Qualls shared Hayslett’s view, but felt the county could have cut the budget early to prepare for the settlement. He also called the courthouse project wasteful.

Sheriff Donnie Craig will hold a budget hearing on September 27th at 6:00 P.M. in the Performing Arts Center at Pickens County High School to begin the process of trying to cut his budget.

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