NEWTON COUNTY – In a captivating revelation, the Newton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) seems to be leaning in opposition to permitting Area Invoice 581 (HB581) to proceed into impact in Newton County.
On the Wednesday, Jan. 29 particular known as assembly – a make-up for the Jan. 21 frequently scheduled assembly that was once canceled because of the snowy climate – lots of the commissioners it seems that declared their place on HB581, with most effective Demond Mason (District 2) refraining from taking a unclouded stance.
The tip of BOC conferences allots year for family feedback, adopted by means of commissioner feedback. Regardless that HB581 was once no longer an time table merchandise utmost night time, 4 distant electorate devoted parts in their podium year to talking concerning the looming tax invoice.
Audio system integrated the previous District 3 Commissioner Alana Sanders, common citizen commenter Dave Norton of New child, in addition to Dennis Taylor and James Peterson.
Taylor identified that the electorate of Newton County handed the poll measure in November 2024, and he argues that the folk might be figuring out of will increase to counter doable tax loss, corresponding to the possible wish to carry the millage charge.
“House Bill 581 passed by a landslide in every district, every precinct in Newton County,” Taylor mentioned. “People understand the necessity of millage rates increases. We had them for ten straight years and no commissioner was voted out. Anybody who chose to run again were re-elected. So they understand if you had to make a millage rate change.”
District 1 Commissioner Stan Edwards echoed the potential of millage charge will increase and mentioned that he’s leaning in opposition to balloting to stay opted into the domicile exemption.
“Mr. Taylor hit on the millage rate,” Edwards mentioned. “There’s a perception out there when your tax or your property value is frozen that your taxes will never go up, well that’s just simply not the case. They could go down, but more than likely they’re going up. I think it’s important we know, no matter what your home value is, we as commissioners have to adjust that multiplier – that millage rate – to bring in the amount of money we need. So if your home value goes down, we’ve still got to probably go up on the millage rate to offset that decrease.”
However Taylor expressed self belief within the board’s functions to manufacture tax answers, referencing presen a long time of forums that experience conquer hindrances.
“The concept that maybe we can’t get through the hard times, the past board – many of y’all were on it – managed us through COVID,” Taylor mentioned. “Nothing had to be shut down. Everything kept running. Safety departments kept running. Way back in 2007, 2008, that board got us through that big downturn, huge downturn…Don’t never [sic] doubt what you can do in crisises [sic].”
District 3 Commissioner Stephanie Lindsey definitively mentioned she needs to vote to let HB581 whisk impact in Newton County, however that she has no longer forgotten about senior taxation problems and is hooked in to devoting extra efforts to making senior tax ease.
“I like what Mr. Taylor said when he said that, you know, that we’ve been through crises before and we worked together as a board, and because we worked together as a board we were able to get through those crises,” Lindsey mentioned. “That’s the one reason why – the one reason why – I’m supporting HB581. So I’m announcing it for the file: I’m supporting HB581.
I feel that this is one thing that we must do. I don’t like the truth that we’re taking to be caught in it, however within the spirit of what Mr. Taylor mentioned, I imagine that we will paintings in combination to determine how we will maneuver via any problems that we can have in the future. So Commissioner Stephanie Lindsey of District 3 has mentioned ‘I support it,’ however you additionally need to think about, I’m additionally supporting [reducing] senior taxation.”
Commissioner J.C. Henderson (District 4) additionally expressed his inclination to let the invoice whisk impact in Newton County.
“I’m sure that a lot of people knew exactly what was on the ballot,” Henderson mentioned. “They know. And when they went out and voted for it, guess what? They voted for what they wanted for and how they wanted our county to be ran. I agree with Commissioner Stephanie Lindsey that we need to vote it in.”
Henderson additionally expressed his need to grant tax ease to senior electorate.
“And our seniors,” Henderson mentioned. “You know, we have done the home repair and let us not mess this up too for our seniors. This county, this government is going to continue to grow and the bills will continue to be paid. So let’s do what’s right by our citizens of Newton County.”
District 5 Commissioner LeAnne Lengthy was once additionally in assistance of HB581.
“We might not even have those meetings [the public hearings required to opt out] because I am going to vote to stay in it,” Lengthy mentioned. “It’s a balancing act. It’s going to be very hard, it’s going to be very hard for this board. And I agree with Commissioner Edwards, that millage rate is probably going to go up.”
Chairman Marcello Banes ended the assembly with rationalization at the doable family hearings and the criminal notices that might promote it them.
The criminal notices posted on-line and ran in The Covington Information are required to incorporate explicit jargon that claims the board (or any alternative governing frame performing on HB581) is stating its ‘intent to opt out of homestead exemption.’ The board can make a selection to keep the conferences for the sake of facilitating family participation and next vote to let HB581 whisk impact anyway.
If the board chooses to keep the hearings, the criminal realize might learn “The Newton County Board of Commissioners intends to opt out of the statewide adjusted base year ad valorem homestead exemption…” which would possibly not appropriately replicate the board’s intentions.
“When we start advertising for these meetings, I think we’re putting a false perception out there that the board is inclined to opt out of this 581,” Banes mentioned. “I think you’re going to have people who actually voted for 581, they’re going to be upset, they’re going to come in here upset thinking that we are about to opt out of something. So I want y’all to reconsider those meetings. I really don’t think we need to have those meetings if we’re going to stay in. I think we just need to stay in if we’re going to stay in.”
The board has no longer officially voted on whether or not to stick in or decide out of HB581. As of press year, The Information has no longer won any criminal realize or communications from the county about scheduling family hearings.
Maximum alternative governing entities have scheduled family hearings to start out the decide out procedure. Particularly, the Newton County Board of Training and the town of Oxford have appeared maximum intent on in fact opting out of the invoice, regardless that this extra topic to modify. Covington, New child and Social Circle have additionally scheduled their family hearings, however their leanings at the invoice are unknown.
Porterdale has no longer discharged its stance at the invoice, making Mansfield and the BOC the one two our bodies to have obviously indicated a powerful need to let HB581 whisk impact, regardless that neither frame has officially declared its plans.
