County Commissioner's Office

County Talk
By
Lamar Paris - Commissioner

Q. We have heard that the Nottely River bridge replacement project is a State Dept. of Transportation project and not a county project. Is this true?
A. Yes, it is a state funded project with a small required participation by the county.  GDOT provided the specifications and is providing some of the material and paying for a majority of the project. They will also be in charge of the inspection and final approval.   However, it is considered to be a “county contract”  “PR”project with local financial participation.   Normally, all bridge projects are GDOT projects totally, but because of the problems we have experienced on this bridge (bog turtle habitat/wetlands and streams), this project is being funded differently so as to speed up the process by about three years.

Q.  The Nottely River Bridge on the Blue Ridge Highway has been blocked off for two weeks and practically no work has taken place yet.  At this pace, it will take forever to replace the bridge.  Why is no work going on?
A. The company that won the bid, Cornett Bridge, set the date for the bridge to be closed, not the county.  Their contract and construction time limits also started on that day, August 1st.  Therefore, they will still have to complete the project by the same time.  They recently told us that they are completing an existing project and should be started full time on the bridge no later than August 25th. While I know this is frustrating for some people and business owners, it is also frustrating for the County Road Dept.  Should there be any additional unexplained delays, we will consider court action and will re-open the road.

Q. We see that the county has set a property tax millage rate that is reduced again this year.  We really appreciate that, but wonder why our property tax assessments are not going down because of the decrease in market prices?
A. I want to give you the information provided to me recently by the Assessor’s office regarding property sales. It is really pretty amazing.  The state requires that counties update their assessed (appraised) values based on actual sales amounts. In their newest report, out of 367 home sales in 2007, all but 36 sold for values greater than their tax appraisals.  This indicates that in 2007, the appraised values were well under the actual sales prices so new adjustments to appraisals was not necessary. 

Then from January 1st through March 15th, 2008, out of 65 home sales, only six (10%) sold for less than appraised value with the rest selling for more and often considerably more.  However the latest home sales January thru April now show 15% of homes are being sold for less than their appraised values.  So for homes, the appraised values are still less than the actual sales prices and still indicating that the appraised values do not need lowered. 

Q. Are lot sales holding their value like homes?
A. No.  Lot sales are just now reaching a point at or below appraised values.  Out of 49 lot sales in the first four months of 2008, 26 sold for less than their appraisal (53%).  If this trend continues the remainder of the year, then it is likely that lot values will decrease next year.  However, at this time, home sales are still above the tax appraisal.

Q.  If our assessment is lower next year, then our taxes will also be lower, won’t they?
A.  Not necessarily.  While I have been able to lower property taxes the past two years, we do not know what next year holds.  We can only hope it is better.  The county must determine what our budget is for the following years. For 2009, it will be $13,226,880.

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