Dear Editor,
I was mildly amused by Putnam County Commission Chairman Sharp’s reason for voting against holding public hearings on HB 581 (The Eatonton Messenger, A2, Jan. 30). Did Chairman Sharp not listen to any of the discussion? Did he not read the bill?
Chairman Sharp knew, or should have known, that the motion before the Board used the specific language REQUIRED by HB 581. Nothing in the motion said that “… we are going to exempt ourselves …” During the discussion, it was repeatedly told that holding the public hearings did not mean that the county would opt out of the statewide exemption. As provided in HB 581, the decision to opt-out could only be made through a resolution after the public hearings.
Given the scheduling requirements of HB 581, with a deadline of March 1st, a vote against holding public hearings effectively means that Putnam County will OPT-IN.
The primary purpose of the public hearings is to inform the public and answer questions about HB 581. Judging by the questions raised at the Board of Education public hearings, many public members do not understand the implications of HB 581 or the current homestead exemptions offered by Putnam County.
Putnam County has had a base-year, or floating, exemption for 20 years. The statewide exemption would reset the base year to 2024, eliminating any exemption the taxpayer has acquired in past years. The tax assessor must compare the local exemption with the statewide exemption and grant the homeowner the greater of the two exemptions.
According to Chief Tax Appraiser Chuck Anglin, most homeowners would benefit more from the local exemption than the statewide exemption.
Maybe all is not lost.
HB 92, currently moving through the Legislature, would extend the time for public hearings until May 1st. Perhaps we can still inform the public.
Steve Hersey, District 3 Commissioner