The Gilmer County Assessors Office has yet to receive an opinion requested from the state attorney general’s office about changing the county’s 65-and-over homestead exemption, Chief Appraiser Theresa Gooch noted during a brief board of assessors meeting Thursday, Oct. 15.
After receiving in-person feedback from several dissatisfied property owners last June, the board decided to leave structures not attached to a primary residence included in the types of property covered by the 65-and-up exemption until an opinion from the state could be received.
Previously, language from Georgia House Bill 1383 had been used for an assessors office policy that removed such unattached structures as sheds, garages and out buildings from the school tax exemption, thus making them eligible to be taxed.
“They said in the last email they hadn’t forgotten about us and they were trying to work on something.” Gooch told assessor board members, some of whom noted that receiving the state-level guidance is taking longer than expected.
Originally, the advice was expected to have been provided by January of this year.
“Do we need to go above this guy? This has been dragging on forever,” asked board chairman Gary Engel.
“It is so controversial, they don’t want to and they’re postponing a decision,” offered board member Tom Porter.
Porter said the board has “got to have an answer by the first of May of next year.”
Gooch said she will find out from county attorney David Clark whether there is another source who the office can reach out to in order to receive an opinion.
In other news ...
﹣ Board members approved a 40-percent equalization ratio, which will allow for the taxation of public utilities in the county at the full rate.
﹣ Board of Equalization hearings have been postponed several times, but the appeal hearings will continue during the last week of October and into November, Gooch noted.