Jones County Commissioners took the time to get to know candidates for three open positions on the Board of Tax Assessors last week.
Chairman Chris Weidner called the Jan. 14 work session to order at 4 p.m. that was called for the purpose of interviewing applicants to fill the tax assessors board positions. The three positions were open due to the resignations of two board members and the expired term of another.
All Jones County Commissioners were in attendance at the work session.
The meeting was conducted in a job interview format with County Administrator Jason Rizner asking a series of questions of each applicant. Rizner asked the same questions to each candidate.
Some of those questions were taken from the applications, such as relevant job experience and the reason for their interest in serving on the board. The administrator’s questions included their thoughts on dealing with conflict resolution, how to handle pressure situations and ways to inform the public about the process of property valuation and taxation.
Commissioner John Wood also had follow-up questions that were the same for each candidate. His questions were more focused on time requirements for mandatory training and an overview of the importance and the impact of the role of board members.
After answering those questions, each commissioner had the opportunity to ask questions.
That interview process took approximately 45 minutes per candidate and concluded just before 8 p.m.
After a short break, Weidner called a meeting to order for the purpose of the selection of the three board members. Members of the Board of Tax Assessors are appointed to six-year terms, but those terms are staggered. Individuals appointed to fill the positions of board members who resigned serve out the term of the person they replace.
After a brief discussion, Wood made the motion to appoint Joe Rutledge to the Board of Tax Assessors to fill the full six-year term of the member whose term expired. Wood’s motion was approved unanimously.
Rutledge is the owner and manager of Gray Computers.
Commissioner Sam Kitchens made the motion to appoint Leigh Ross Stanford to fill the position that will expire Dec. 31, 2027. The motion was approved unanimously.
Stanford is a supervising U.S. probation officer with 27 years of experience with various governmental departments, investigations and law enforcement.
Kitchens also made the motion to appoint Andrea Riley to fill the position that will expire Dec. 31, 2025. That motion was approved with a vote of 4-1 with Commissioner Daylon Martin opposed.
Riley is retired but worked in the Jones County Tax Assessors Office for 24 years before retiring.
Commissioners voted at the conclusion of a Jan. 7 hearing to remove Timothy Andrews and Scherryl Morgan, who were the remaining two of five-member tax assessors board at the time.
The reason for the removals was given as the failure of the Jones County Board of Tax Assessors to meet the standards established by the Georgia Department of Revenue, namely the failure of the fair market value assessment of properties, the unlawful use of overrides and grade changes and violation of the open meetings law.
Jones County Chief Appraiser Tony George filed an appeal to the commissioners’ action in Jones County Superior Court Jan. 14.
That appeal will be heard by a superior court judge, who will make a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.
