Assessors Begin New Year
The Jasper County Tax Assessors first order of business for the new year was to re-elect Jim Harrell as chairman of the three-member board which oversees the tax maintenance office.
David Morrison will remain vice-president and Tara Pickren secretary.
A preponderance of the business Tuesday morning was handling details associated with tax exempt programs. The board voted to require conservation use and preferential use applicants to submit a $10 non-refundable fee when filing for those exemptions. Whether an application is approved or disapproved the fee will not be returned.
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Also, the board authorized chief appraiser Brac Bohannon to mail letters to residents whose covenants for conservation and preferential usage expired as of Dec. 31, 2003. Assessors agreed to advertise the filing deadlines for conservation and preferential applicants in February and homestead applicants in May.
In reaction to the county commission new policy on departmental deposits the assessors recommended to the chief appraiser that at least two deposits be made monthly.
Mr. Bohannon reported that most of the money received by the office is in check form and that the only cash kept in the office is enough for changing twenty-dollar bills. He said that receipts are made for all checks received.
“Everything is looking rosy right now,” said the chief appraiser during an office update. Mr. Bohannon reported that the office now has internet that is up and running and that the mapping and field appraisals are works in progress.
Mr. Bohannon recommended that the board approve hiring Denise Reynolds as clerk administrator in the tax maintenance office. Ms. Reynolds is a displaced county employee from Jasper County Curbside, he said. She was hired at her former county rate of $9.50 per hour. The positions of appraiser trainee and appraiser 1 are still vacant.
The board approved staff and assessor education seminars for the upcoming months. Andrea Appling and Mr. Bohannon will attend a WinGap seminar this month; Ms. Pickren and Ronnie Armistead will attend an Appraiser II course in April; and Gerald Bramblett, Jim Harrell and Mr. Bohannon will attend the CAVEAT session in May.
