Assessors Board to Have Two Openings

During the regular monthly meeting of the Jasper County Board of Assessors (BOA) last week, Chief Appraiser Lynn Bentley announced the terms of two board members will expire at the end of the year.

Anyone interested in the positions must send a letter of interest to the BOA, which will be passed on to the Board of Commissioners (BOC) for action during their December or January meetings.

Nominees must attend the BOC meeting and state their reasons for desiring to serve. Terms are for three years, and the current members are expected to reapply.

During this meeting Ms. Bentley also presented a budget update for the department indicating that through the end of October they were at 76 percent of budget, tracking to come in at or under budget.
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Also, the 2011 Prebill Digest for mobile homes was unanimously approved by the Board at a value of $5.3 million. Mobile homes (not homesteaded) in the county continue to decline in value to approximately 50 percent of the $10.3 million value in 2005. The BOA previously voted to depreciate the existing homes and no new ones are coming into the county.

The new Conservation Law was discussed, which goes into effect after a three year grace period and stipulates the size of property goes from 10 to 25 acres or more in order to qualify for Conservation. Properties under 25 acres will not be able to renew Conservation in 2012.

In the meantime, 16 Conservation renewals for the 2011 digest, were approved unanimously for:

Herman Cronan, David Garwood, James E. Driskell Trust, O. A. and Darrell Aldridge, William and Frances Hardin, Dorothy Wynens, Charles M. Williams, Caroline and Steven Hodges, Audrey Gray Jordan, Pool Hardware, Inc. Russell and Nancy Pool, Morris and Hazel Chupp, Zachary Lee Rabun, J. P. Rabun, Stuart and Jacquelyn Deloach and Joan D. Hopkins Trust.

Forest Land Applications (200 acres or more of which 50 percent has to be in forest land) were also unanimously approved for Kenneth Cook and R. David Garwood.