at the courthouse. one will be held at 9 a.m. with a second at 6 p.m. a third hearing will follow on august 28.
under the current proposed budget, taxes will mathematically increase by 15.29% although the millage rate will remain the same as last year.
more where you would expect it barnesville.com
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47 comments:
Now expain to me how a 62 year old man would benefit by voting to extend SLOST for another year while the county wants to raise my taxes 15.29%.
We need a SPLOST to keep taxes low. OOPs we have a 15.29% tax increase based on increasing property values. Since nothing changed why don't we have a tax millage DECREASE to mathematically compensate for increased property values. Is anyone ready to say enough is enough?
It's time we told leadership NO. And if the increase must stay - we need to call the tax commissioner and insist that all our elected officials get a measured appraisal so we know they are paying their fair share too.
Get rid of the elected officials.
Hardwick serves on the IDA illegally. He even asked Pattie to change the rule in the book and call it a "clerical error".
At the same time Hardwick wanted to cut or hold everything else, he wanted to give the IDA an INCREASE.
The IDA is floating bonds for the Chinese for 50 million, plus helping with grants. The Chinese are bringing in no money, just borrowing it through the IDA bonds.
We also won't charge them taxes while they devalue their currency and steal jobs from the rest of America and give us bad food and goods.
Like the plastics company and everyone else the IDA deals with, the Chinese will hold us hostage and if we ever try to tax them fairly they will leave.
If you want to see an example of how this works, look at Yamaha. The minute all the good-times ran out they closed the plant out in Thomaston.
This is typical of deals IDA's cut. They offer a free lunch to a business, often at the expense of jobs elesewhere. This allows owners to have no real investment except on paper. No cash comes from their pockets.
IDA's grant a big tax cut with the poor business sense to think someday they will get the money bad when the tax exemptions run out. The normal step is the business that really has no major out of pocket investment then threatens to pull up and leave, and the IDA either has to cough up a big hairball and extend or expand tax breaks or face the prospect all the work and investment will fall apart.
It's a lot like buying a stolen tractor or collecting that $50 million waiting for you on the Internet.
When someone offers something to you as a very special deal but there is NO logical reason WHY they would want to do that, look out. You are about to get screwed.
Like Yamaha and the plastics company, you can bet this is another deal where the business has all the cards.
Gene, who serves illegally on the IDA and even tried to have Patty change the county code, thinks the IDA brings all sorts of money into Lamar county and deserves an increased budget.
It's poor managers like that who are screwing things up. Gene must be practicing for a job at the Whitehouse, where he can sell Americans out and waste trillions of dollars protecting us while having our borders wide open.
Narcissistic managers are poor managers..
How much would that increase be without the moneys from the 1 cent sales tax? No matter who the leaders are of Lamar County, the infrastructure has to grow to accomodate the present and future growth. How can anyone, person or government, provide to their residents modern roadways and facilities without growth money. I am not for more taxes but to say no to splost is like cutting off your nose to spite your face; especially if you are a homeowner or landowner. I get tax bills from three surrounding counties and Lamar County is pretty fair.
And Scoop, what is the honest scoop on this $50 million ida bond statement made previously by anon 7:19? Is this money something taxpayers are paying for or backing? Is this entire plant coming here with out investing a dime of it's own money and using all of the counties money? Just want an honest answer no matter what the truth is.
Mr. Morgan - Finally a question I agree with you on. I hope the answer is in understandable english that won't require an analysis to break it down. Hopefully it won't be like another Scruggs deal.
ANY MORE TAX IS BAD! Lets see if we can do this without sticking our hand in every tax payers pocket in lamar co.
chen is buying his own bonds.
he has transferred money to the united states to purchase the first issue.
at last report, that is to happen late next month. there is no reason to believe he will not follow through but i, for one, will breathe easier when it happens.
I'm n total agreement with the first blog. The county wants to raise my taxes 15.29% and approve an extention on SLOST. I have no children in the school system. People are hiding behind an agriculture tax dodge and expect me to pick up their slack. Not NO b ut HELL No.
If Chen is buying his own bonds then 7:19 anon comments are starting to look like a smear job.
WDM,
Read the IDA agreement. It's in English.
Chen isn't buying anything. The IDA is arranging the bonds, and Chen has a holding company or US corporation that is promising to pay back the money on the IDA's terms.
The IDA will arrange the bonds, and the IDA's name will be on them.
Let me put this in a simple analogy for you.
Call me Mr. IDA. I buy some land and build a building for you. You form a corporation whose only real valuable asset will be the land and building I am agreeing to build for you.
You personally are not liable, and you don't have to bring a dime to the table. Only the company you have formed is liable to uphold terms of the agreement, and you live way over in China where even if you did agree to liability we couldn't touch you. But of course you didn't agree to any personal liability, you agreed that your newly formed corporation is liable to the extent of it has to pay something according to the IDA agreement.
Now I build the building to your specs, and you move in. Some bond holders or banks around here have agreed to accept the IDA bonds I issued, based on the idea that eventually you will cough up some money.
While it is true that I, doing the deal as the IDA, am protected from incurring debt the county is liable for, let me ask you the following:
Q.) How much money am I bringing to the table? Is it 50 million or so?
A.) Zero. You really aren't bringing any money. I'm obtaining bonds and grants for you, and just like the Gordon College IDA bonds my name is on them.
Q.) What is your obligation?
A.) Personally, nothing. The brand new company you formed is obligated to pay me back on the terms you and I agreed to. Not you.
Q.) What happens if your new company doesn’t pay?
A.) I or the bond purchasers have the property the bonds are tied to. We have a nice building built to your specs. We can sue your corporation for the money, but the fact is you have no personal liability.
Now no one can say this deal won't work out, and UNLIKE what Yamaha just did to Thomaston your corporation might stay when the taxes go up, but you really have all the cards. Nothing came from your pocket and you have no personal obligation. All you have to do is fold up at any time, and the only thing on your end that gets hurt is the company you formed. It even has a different name, like General Protection, so it doesn't bother your credit.
Now here's a little homework for you. Look up the person in the USA brokering this deal and look at how many companies he has formed and had "go away" in the past ten years.
He has formed more companies than I have toes and many of them no longer exist.
Of course none of this means it's a bad deal. The only question is why not be straight up with everyone and tell them what the deal really is?
If I say you are investing 50 million, that's really a fib. I am arranging for the 50 million from other investors, and you are not even personally agreeing to pay me back. What you actually did is have a fellow who creates corporations and who has a lot of them expire create a corporation for you that is responsible for the obligations.
What's wrong with the truth?
Why make it sound like you are coming to town and sprinkling barrels of money all around?
Why not say the 500 jobs, or whatever the big number is, is based on OTHER businesses that might pop up besides yours?
anonymous @ 9:45 PM
wdm ain't capable of that. If the good old boys said it then it's got2B true and everbody else is just plain dumb. I think he's alinging with the good old boys for a run at office. What do yall think? Take the opinion poll. Butt Kisser (BK)or Future Politician (FP) or just (FOS).
Someone please explain to me how leaving the mills the same as last year is a tax increase. I read in the paper where the school board is lowering the mills from last year but said it was a tax increase. The whole thing is confusing to me. Even more reason to go to a consumption tax system for everything.
All I have heard is the commissioners are cutting the budget this year and not adding more fire fighters. Are they really increasing or is it because of growth in the county that has generated more tax revenue.
gmac: you have the ear of commissioner brown. ask him why he was pushing to raise the mills along with horton. the commission did not increase taxes. the tax digest grew. consequently, the demands for services grow. the mills remained the same as last year. it was yours truly brown and horton talking about increasing the mills to support thier little wishes. hardwick spoke up and told them they would have to raise the mills without his support. i know you are not going to jump on brown and horton and give hardwick credit so i thought i would point that fact out for you. the only increase is in the value of the tax digest.
anonymous 3:02: I will do that. I don't know anything about it other than what you said here but when it comes to tax increases I won't support anyone wanting them; friends or not. If anything, with such big increases in property values, the millage should be dropped. I'd have to side with Hardwick too.
ANON 3:02 you are absolutely correct on your comments concerning Brown and Horton and Hardwick.
Brown and Horton indicated they would accept a millage increase and Hardwick would not support them nor would Chairman Matthews.
Presently the increase comes from the tax digest only. That may change; however, I doubt it will because of the low bids on Rudy's grand palace!!!
The public needs to know what commissioners are trying to raise taxes beyond the assessement increases...Brown and Horton are the tax raisers on the commission right now....period!!!!
9:45 anon, You are representing a worst case scenario as a factual event. What if General Protecht comes here, hires 200 to 300 people, and prospers? And chances are better that will happen than your worse case scenario. The items that will be manufactured by them in B'ville is required in every new house and commercial property in America. And for those who believe a ghostwriter who hides behind anonymous than the publisher of the legal organ of the county, the truth will never matter to you anyway.
Legal organ...I love that one.
More taxes & still no representation!
WDM,
It appears you don't understand contracts or manufacturing, or at least you are pretending to not know.
GWB
Let's see if this makes sense....
The publisher of the "Legal Organ" sits on the IDA.
What are the odds the information he publishes about the IDA is factual and unbiased?
Anonymous 3:02: From what I've been told, Hardwick did say he would not support a millage increase. George and Benny did not recommend an increase either. They commented on the formula used to establish a new mill rate with the increase in property values. Therefore, no person is recommending a tax increase. Do I trust my source? YOU BET I DO!
But apparently there still is a problem as I understand it. The math formula provided by the state does not take into account some things for the budget and the math formula does not work.
Now these are the facts as I understand them. If a tax increse by raising the millage is tried, I'll scream with everyone else. If anything the millage should be LOWERED. I think that is the direction they are going.
I understand Chairman Matthews stated that the mills should be set at 8.063 mills to generate the same revenue but that would mean more cuts to the budget. I do not see how the commissioners can committ to manning parker branch if they keep cutting the budget. I agree with Commissioner Horton that sometimes you have to make some adjustments and do what you got to do. So thank you Mr. Horton for committing to funding the fire department and manning parker branch.
IF THE COUNTY IS UPING OUR TAXES WHY CANT THEY MAN PARKER BRANCH STATION?????
GMAC:
are you indicating that the mills are ok as is or should they be rolled back? i do not get the feeling that they are going to lower the mills as you stated in your 10:27pm post.
If you all look at this closely, Gene Hardwick wanted to not increase anything but the IDA that he sits on illegally.
He wanted to find extra money for the IDA, but NOT for Parker Branch.
If you listen to the exact wording Hardwick used he was punishing George Brown for George Brown taking the position that Barnesville was ripping the county off for that Ag Authority money they stole.
Hardwick was throwing the uissue that Brown wanted all the county land assets and money back up as a reason to withhold Parker Branch funding.
This is typical of Gene Hardwick's bend the law way of doing business. Hardwick also asked Patty to lie and say the code excluding him from serving on the IDA was a "typing error". None of us in the county offices will testify against Hardwick because we can lose our jobs.
Now we have the city, the county, and even the only newspaper or legal organ we have all sitting on the IDA holding hands with each other.
Barnesville will get all the money and the county will get stiffed as long as you people permit this by electing or allowing the same few people to run everything and report on everything.
I think the only place we get real news in this county should not have a owner or reporter working for the governemnt they must report on. Its a conflict of intrest to me.
ida meetings are open to the public. why not attend one and decide for yourself if the coverage is fair?
I saw the ida documents about General Protecht Group U.S., Inc on another web page. They are all there to read
What I read in your print and what really is going on do not appear to agree.
It isnt grossly wrong as some implied but there appears to be a public relations spin put on things. Like you spin your blog questions or omit things.
As the owner of Barnesvilles longest running news source with the most hits according to the paper today it would be nice to see less spin and more fact.
please be less biased. We want the old Walter back. We have enuff politicans.
we placed the general protecht agreements on the herald-gazette website as soon as they were approved and they stayed on there for months - until people quit looking at them.
i admit, i was skeptical of the ida when i was first appointed. i have learned much but the most important thing i have learned is industrial recruitment is an extremely competitive business.
those of us on the ida are appointed by political bodies but politics rarely comes up at our meetings. my personal observation is the folks on the ida are dedicated to bringing new industry and jobs to the community.
local politics are rarely discussed and egos are mostly checked at the door.
again, you don't have to take my word for it. ida meetings are open to the public and citizens are welcomed and offered the opportunity to speak at the end of the meeting.
i know this. in the weeks after the general protecht announcement, i heard from a bunch of fellow publishers who told me the industrial recruitment people in their communities were talking about barnesville-lamar county and jealous of our success.
we also hear nothing but universal praise and respect for missy kendrick.
dealing with mr. chen through interpreters was a challenge. i often wondered how much got lost in the translation. but, after being around he and his son, i think he will do what he says he is going to do.
we shall see if my gut feeling is correct.
Question Scoop.
When and if the time comes that you must print something negative about the IDA.
Are you up to the task, or will you use your talents to sugar coat, cover up, or attempt to supress?
accurate, thorough reporting would, without question, be my number one priority!
Well Gmac one thing is for sure, scoop won't be able to sneak any sugar coating or cover up by you...you appear to be real good at it.
Taxes going up? Doesn't anyone realize that property values are dropping all over the country??? But Lamar County taxes continues to rise!!!! How lucky I am to be a property owner in this unaffected county. Ugh!!!
OK everyone, I need some help. Should I get the WDM seal of approval on all questions before being published on the blog?
GMAC: YOU NEED TO GET SOME HELP!
Sorry guys but ANY MORE TAX IS BAD! Throwing money at a problem is not the answer. And if lamar county is growing that fast we should have more tax money than ever.
KMA ALL I B DONE
republican pres, repblican governor, republican local government and taxes increase......maybe we need to try a little democract imput for awhile......
Taxes suck.. Go Fair Tax Law!!
gmac: if you are serious about "KMA I B DONE" I AM SURE WE CAN GET YOU SOME HELP MOVING FAR FROM HERE
get me sum help
git er dune
They cant get a check cause of them dam mexicans.So we send half way around the world for substandard products (made in china)cause americans ara all about what can america do for me. It should be the other way around. At one time MADE IN AMERICA ment somyhing. Now its a punchline for the rest of the world.
If you are going to comment as me, please check your spelling. I'm sure you've excited the slow and ignorant now, so continue your drama if it makes you happy. And, if this is "you know who"; it is an all time low, even for you.
And 12:24, I think they should be lowered because values have risen. I don't know what they plan to do but, if they increase taxes, next election is the time to explain our disapproval and seek replacements if their explanations are not satisfactory.
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