Wednesday, September 25, 2002

I would like to add my two cents to the letters from Bill Webster and Bob Young regarding the appeal of property tax assessments. I, too, believe that the outcome is predetermined.

The year before last, my assessment went up 20 percent. My wife and I went to the second appeal level, the Board of Equalization and presented our case just as Mr. Young did. Our presentation included pictures and sales figures for every house in our neighborhood that had sold in the previous two years. We had some figures that the Fayette County representative, who was also there, did not even have.

The members of the board were very complimentary and told us that we had the most organized presentation that they had ever seen. Both my wife and I felt that we proved conclusively that our assessment should be $30,000 to $40,000 lower.

You can guess what happened next. Just like Mr. Young, we received in the mail, the very next day, the form letter denying our appeal. There was no real explanation as to why. So even though we spent hours preparing, organizing, and presenting our case, it appears to me that the Board of Equalization did not even take a bathroom break before rejecting our appeal and getting their denial letter in the mail.

I don't know what we can do about this taxpayer abuse, but I would sure like to see our county government be more responsive and fair in the way it treats its ultimate employers, the citizens.

Carl Tomberlin

Peachtree City