Archived News

Tax appraiser’s office works to correct assessment errors

 Because of computer problems, flawed property appraisals have been generated in some areas of the county. The DeKalb County tax assessor’s office discovered problems with appraisals recently mailed to property owners and new notices will be sent, according to Commissioner Kathie Gannon.

There are approximately 2,700 properties that were identified last week with errors, according to Gannon. There have been concentrations of errors within the Briarcliff corridor from Clairmont north to Northlake Mall and inside the city of Decatur.

Usually, a property owner who believes that his appraisal is not accurate or fair has 45 days to file an appeal. Because of the large number of inaccuracies, the tax assessor’s office is asking that property owners wait until July 2 to see whether they receive a revised notice. If no revised assessment is received by July 2, the property owner has until July 13 to file an appeal. If the property owner receives a revised assessment that he does not find satisfactory, it “resets the clock,” Gannon said. The property owner has 45 days from the receipt of the revised notice to appeal. 

Tax appraisers say they are working to adjust land values to “more realistic” levels based on market conditions.

“DeKalb County Tax Appraisers office is under a tremendous workload now. They will try to answer your questions, but it may take some patience.  There are 66 employees and 230,000 properties,” states an announcement from Gannon’s office.

County to revise Brookhaven information after CVI declines

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis said the county will perform its own analysis of the feasibility of the proposed city of Brookhaven using current tax digest values because the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVI) at the University of Georgia has declined to update its study.

“I am concerned that citizens now have incorrect data, and I am disappointed that CVI will not adjust their revenue forecast,” Ellis said. “The feasibility study uses 2010 numbers, but the tax digest has fallen twice since then.  The revenue estimates for the city of Brookhaven could be as much as 10 percent too high.”

Ellis said he sent a letter in May to Ted Baggett, local government program manager at CVI, asking for a supplement to the report that uses the actual proposed boundaries for the proposed city and the current tax digest.  That request was denied as “…not feasible to complete…” prior to the July 31 referendum, according to the rejection letter.  Ellis said that on two previous occasions, CVI did provide updates to the report at the request of organizations in support of the incorporation of Brookhaven.

“As we have been inundated with requests for accurate information, we will move forward with an analysis using in-house resources,” Ellis said.

 Scam Jam to provide safety tips for seniors

Seniors from across the county are invited to join DeKalb County public safety officials, local lawmakers and various service providers for Scam Jam 2012.  The scheduled event will take place Thursday, June 14, at 10 a.m. in the Manuel Maloof Auditorium, located at 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur.

Presenters include District Attorney Robert James, Sheriff Thomas Brown, Solicitor General Sherry Boston, State Senator Gloria Butler, Lithonia Mayor Deborah Jackson, DeKalb County Police Department and Fire & Rescue, and Dunwoody Police Department.

Scam Jam 2012, hosted by the DeKalb County Triad, is an event to educate area residents about scams and tactics used by criminals to take advantage of older people. The elected officials as well as other presenters will provide information on how seniors can protect themselves from becoming victims of exploitation.

The DeKalb County triad presents crime prevention programs to reduce senior crime victimization, increases awareness of public safety concerns through education and community involvement, and recruits and trains senior volunteers to work as law enforcement partners.