VALDOSTA —
A friend up in Gwinnett County started out a column this week with “If you don’t like bad news, quit reading now.” His subject was directed at his county but his background information is food for thought for the homeowners of Lowndes.
North Georgia is separated from South Georgia by the “gnat line.” Politically, many believe there are “two Georgias.” Everybody knows there is a major difference in North Georgia and South Georgia football (down here the word is spelled in ALL CAPS and our season lasts 12 months).
In order to keep our state status, we are joined at the hip by taxes, and more precisely property taxes. Any Georgian can sit down with another Georgian over a meal, glass of wine or a beer and agree as homeowners, we pay way too much in property taxes.
My North Georgia colleague pointed out, based on information from the Washington, D.C., Tax Foundation, the people of his county can expect a tax increase and a big one. Let’s look at the data as it relates to Lowndes.
First the good news, in Georgia, there are only six other counties ranked lower than us in taxes as percent of home value (Bartow, Glynn, Carroll, Bullock, Whitfield and Muscogee). Our percentage is 0.64 percent and nationally this ranks Lowndes at 580 among the 3,086 counties ranked. Taxes as to a percentage of income are 1.5 percent or 664 in the ranking. On the national level, homeowners pay 2.9 percent of their income for property taxes. Fulton is the only Georgia county higher at 3 percent. Dougherty (Albany) leads the state in taxes to the percent of home value. Their median home value is $101,800 and they pay $1,015. Here, the median value is $130,900 and we would have paid $834.
Now, the bad news for us all. This data is from 2008. A realtor here told me last week that Lowndes real estate values finally have signs of stabilizing after two years of declines. The less residential and commercial property is valued the less taxes that the property generate. This means a tax increase.
In Clayton, Houston and Barrow counties, homeowners pay nearly $1,100 in taxes compared to our $834 on slightly higher median home values.
As to a percent of income, only Houston County, of the Georgia counties ranked, matched us at 1.5 percent and their median income is $69,360 compared to our $53,848. There are 10 counties with higher taxes as a percent of income without breaking into 2 percent or higher. All but two (Floyd and Richmond) have higher median incomes.
A drop in our property digest seems evident and to maintain we will need a tax increase. We can recruit higher-paying jobs to the county and get more taxes that way but is that practical thinking for a quick adjustment in this economy?
I guess we can brag to our North Georgia friends, even when we pay more, we are paying way less than them. I would rather just say we are better in football and leave it at that. What about you?
Sandy Sanders
Do we want tax or football braggin’ rights?
- Sandy Sanders
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Think before you answer
I got an email this week where a writer of an online column tells the story of a young child in Sunday School. The writer says the little boy’s teacher asked his class ‘What’s the animal with a long, bushy tail that lives in trees?’ One child quickly answers while probably thinking about the usual answer to questions in his church Sunday School, ‘Jesus. Though it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.’
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Forgiveness, redemption go together
The news story on Friday read: “WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday to censure once-powerful New York Rep. Charles Rangel for multiple ethical misdeeds — the first time in nearly three decades that House members have publicly rebuked a colleague.
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South Georgia roots run deep for these execs
David Ratcliffe and Mike Garrett, two highly respected executives with Valdosta and South Georgia ties, will be stepping down as leaders of two of the largest power companies in the nation by yearend.
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VDT ready with all-new digital edition
You can now go to the home page of our website (www.valdostadailytimes.com) and click on the link for our digital e-edition. You can sign up for a seven-day trial or, if you currently subscribe to the print edition, we will be glad to add the e-edition just by calling our office for details.
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We are losing our children and we are blaming ‘others’
Extinction! There are public outcries to save animals, bugs and reptiles while our own children are being lost to a new world order. In the past two weeks, I have seen two students, one high school, one middle school, with their parents blessing bring to the public area all the details of their student-teacher antics. Each student had been suspended from school and one was making his way to court.
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Do we want tax or football braggin’ rights?
A drop in our property digest seems evident and to maintain we will need a tax increase. We can recruit higher-paying jobs to the county and get more taxes that way but is that practical thinking for a quick adjustment in this economy?
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Blazer Zone moving into Drexel Park
Next Saturday, Blazer fan families will have a great opportunity for some pre-game tailgating fun. The university is turning Drexel Park into a mini carnival so families can spread out to enjoy an afternoon under the trees, as they get ready for the Blazers’ season opener.
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Maggots with your steak
Today, with online journalism on newspaper websites, readers are able to go online, read the story, post a comment and, within minutes, their comment (thread) is answered by another reader. The bantering can follow a positive line or it can quickly move to having all the attributes of a barroom brawl.
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Why do some children live in abusive houses?
As I have written many times in this column, I grew up in a small town. My father worked at Moody Air Force Base for 30 years and as he would recollect while laughing, “I ate a fried egg sandwich for lunch every day of those 30 years.”
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Turning 18 before the election board
When I turned 18 my father took me down to the courthouse one evening to go before the Board of Registrars so I could be qualified to vote. I was called into the room before three men. I remember being nervous. They asked me questions about residency and being an American before I was given their stamp of approval.
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Think before you answer
