Meetings for Jones County’s Board of Tax Assessors are very different these days with drama and crowded meetings rooms seeming to be a thing of the past.
The March 5 meeting was called to order by Chairman Dr. Leigh Stanford, and board member Joe Rutledge led the opening prayer and pledge. The agenda included approval of the values for CUVA and FLPA programs, which are set by the state.
Board member Tina Presley made the motion to approve the values, and the motion passed unanimously.
The Conservation Use Value Assessment and Forestland Protect Act are10-year Georgia property tax incentive programs that assess qualified agricultural or forest land at current-use value rather than fair market value, often reducing taxes by 75 percent or more.
JCBTA Secretary Bill Goodman presented the approval of CUVA applications. He said 47 applications had been received with 43 meeting all the requirements and already sent to board members for review. Goodman said four of the applications required guidance from the board.
Stanford asked Goodman to present the applications one by one.
The question about the first property was the acreage. It was only 6.7 acres but was adjacent to other properties. That made it eligible with board approval.
Board member Andrea Riley made a motion to table the request to get a land use report for the property. The motion was approved unanimously.
Each of the next two requests were also tabled for land use reports due to questions about the percentage of wooded areas.
Goodman said the fourth application did not meet acreage requirements and it was not adjacent to another CUVA property. He said the property did not qualify.
Riley made the motion to disqualify the application, and the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Goodman presented 95 homestead applications, three veterans homestead exemptions and three ACO homestead applications for approval. Rutledge made the motion to accept the recommended applications and exemptions, and the motion was approved unanimously.
Interim Chief Appraiser Jim Davis presented the 2025 values for 40 public utilities. He said one of the utility companies had filed an appeal and would be billed at 85 percent until the appeal is settled.
Riley made the motion to approve the values, and the motion carried with four votes to approve and one abstention.
Goodman presented 23 motor vehicle appeals and recommended their approval. Presley made the motion to approve the appeals, and the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
The secretary gave a report of the review of Jones County businesses currently paying sales tax to the state. He said 280 businesses were identified and added to the system. Personal property tax returns were mailed to each of the businesses.
He said the deadline to submit the completed returns is April 1.
Stanford stated that the board is considering the possibility of outsourcing processing of the business personal property returns. She said a proposal has been received, and the board is likely to move forward with the outsourcing the project.
Goodman reported that the final settlement letter for the 2025 appeals was mailed, and the taxpayer had verbally agreed to the settlement. He said the agreement of compromise would be ready for the board’s consideration at the next meeting.
The secretary stated his appreciation for the help received to conclude the appeals process.
Stanford thanked Goodman for his outstanding work throughout the process.
Goodman said the office has begun reviewing permits for the 2027 tax digest while continuing work on the 2026 digest. He said staff is making every effort to remain on schedule with both projects.
The secretary gave an update from Technical Appraisal Services concerning the countywide revaluation. He said the company is conducting its final review of property records and is on track with the review.
Stanford asked Goodman to repeat deadline dates for submissions. He said the deadline for most everything is April 1.
It is noteworthy that Jones County Board Commissioners continue to stay informed of what is happening with the tax assessors. Commission Chairman Chris Weidner and Commissioner Sam Kitchens attended the meeting.
With no more business nor public comments, the meeting was adjourned at 5:25 p.m. to enter closed session for personnel. The meeting reopened at 5:42 p.m. to adjourn again with no action taken.
