Habersham County, Georgia: News Articles

Absentee Ballots are now available for the March 6, 2012 Presidential Preference Primary. Please call the Office of Elections & Registration at 706-839-0170 to request an absentee ballot.

Early Voting will begin in the Office of Elections & Registration on the 3rd floor of the courthouse on February 13, 2012 through March 2, 2012, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm.

Saturday Voting will be at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center on Saturday, February 25, 2012, 9am - 4pm.

Advanced Voting will be at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center beginning Monday, February 27, 2012 through Friday, March 2, 2012 from 8am - 7pm.

The attached document provides information about the new immigration law that went into effect January 1, 2012. This law affects individuals and businesses.

The document is also available in the Document Center.

HABERSHAM COUNTY JUDICIAL CENTER

VENDOR FAIR ADVERTISEMENT:

The Potts Company in association with Blake Rainwater Associates will be hosting a third and final Vendor Fair at the Ruby S. Fulbright Recreation and Aquatic Center located at 120 Paul Franklin Road, Clarksville, Georgia, on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in Room A/B to raise awareness for local Habersham County area subcontractors and material suppliers. The Vendor Fair will include information about the qualification and bidding process including when and where bid documents will be available. The Potts Company is firmly committed to Habersham County’s Local Small Business, Local Citizens and Craftsman. All parties are encouraged to attend for general and specific information regarding work opportunities. If you have already attended a previous vendor fair there is no need to addend again unless you have a specific reason as you are already in our system for contact information.

For further information please contact:
Estimating at The Potts Company
981 East Freeway Drive, Conyers, GA 30094
Fax (770) 602-4455 or Email estimating@pottsco.com

http://maps.roktech.net/habersham/index.html

The Potts Company in association with Blake Rainwater Associates will be hosting a Vendor Fair at the Ruby S. Fulbright Recreation and Aquatic Center located at 120 Paul Franklin Road, Clarksville, Georgia, on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in Room A/B to raise awareness for local Habersham County area subcontractors and material suppliers. The Vendor Fair will include information about the qualification and bidding process including when and where bid documents will be available. The Potts Company is firmly committed to Habersham County’s Local Small Business, Local Citizens and Craftsman. All parties are encouraged to attend for general and specific information regarding work opportunities.

For further information please contact:
Estimating at The Potts Company
981 East Freeway Drive, Conyers, GA 30094
Fax (770) 602-4455 or Email estimating@pottsco.com

November 2011 Employee newsletter

The Excess Funds List is now available at www.habershamga.com/document_center.cfm.

Congratulations to the following employees who received awards at the recent Georgia Emergency Communications Conference:

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Michael Bramlett, Building and Grounds Superintendant

TEAM AWARD

E-911 employees Amy Meister, Rita Sikes, Serena Bennett, and Noelle Paneda

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR

E-911 employee, Jennifer Moulder

Also receiving awards were: Habersham County Citizens, Kayla Hughes and Jonathan Hughes, who received the Georgia Peach Award for making the 911 call that saved their Father’s Life.

E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “E-Verify is currently the best means available for employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. E-Verify virtually eliminates Social Security mismatch letters, improves the accuracy of wage and tax reporting, protects jobs for authorized U.S. workers, and helps U.S. employers maintain a legal workforce.”

E-Verify is free, although an employer can hire a third party agent (known as a Designated Agent), to submit verifications and manage responses for the employer. Designated Agents usually provide “value added” services… in addition to verifications, many provide backup and archiving of I-9 data; consulting on employment and verification issues; and other benefits.

E-Verify is voluntary. However, a growing number of states, counties and cities across the county now require employers to enroll in E-Verify as a condition of receiving or renewing a business license, or being awarded a public contract. On September 8, 2009, the federal government began requiring federal contractors to verify their new hires and certain existing employees as a condition of receiving a federal contract.

Notice: Returned 2011 Assessment Notices (Listing Available)

The Habersham County Board of Assessors’ Office mailed approximately 24,000 + assessment notices on June 9th for Tax Year 2011. Due to various reasons, numerous notices were returned to the office by the postal service. Georgia law now requires the BOA to send an Annual Notice of Assessment to all property owners each year-regardless of changes; therefore, every property owner should receive an assessment notice each year for each property they own. All taxpayers who feel they did not receive their assessment notices are recommended to review this listing and contact the office to claim the returned notice, if listed.

The listing of returned notices is located on this website under ONLINE SERVICES--DOCUMENT CENTER—Tax Assessors.

The BOA is required to post all returned assessment notices for a period of 30 days. Please contact the office of the BOA at 706-754-2557 to claim the returned notice and correct the mailing address listed on the property digest. Please note: Property Tax BILLS are expected to be issued in early October; each billing includes the mailing address listed on the property tax records within the BOA’s office.

      The Habersham Board of Assessors recently mailed annual notice of assessments for all property owners for 2011. Beginning this year, all property owners will receive assessment notices every year regardless of any changes, where in the past, a notice was mailed only if a property had an ownership change or change in value was made. Other law changes require an estimated tax amount to be included on the annual notice and a state-wide form to be used. For Habersham, approximately 25,000 notices were mailed each year.

      Another important law change for 2011 is the “sales price cap” which allows for new property owners to receive a one-year cap at the lower of their purchase price or the BOA valuation determined. The transaction price cap is applied to all property sales where the sales price for the property was considered to be a qualified, arms length transaction, or a true fair market sale. Properties where other considerations or changes to the property prior to January 1st 2011 are not subject to the sales price cap for the tax year. Properties receiving this cap will revert to the actual fair market value as determined by the office of the Board of Assessors for the following tax year. The BOA and staff strongly advises property owners to be aware of this one year cap if they participate in escrow with their mortgage companies. Mortgage companies adjust monthly escrow amounts based on the most current property tax billing available. For property owners who receive this transaction price cap for Tax Year 2011, the tax bill, to be issued in the fall, could be calculated at a lower rate and possibly increase for Tax Year 2012. A significant change in valuations from year to year may create an excess in owners escrow accounts one year and insufficient balances for the following year. This could create a problem for homeowners who are contingent on the stability of their monthly mortgage payments.

      Although all property owners are set to receive an assessment notice, the Board of Assessors had approved to perform a countywide revaluation. For 2011, Habersham’s revaluation resulted in most assessments decreasing due to the economy’s downturn locally. According to countywide calculations, the average decrease received by property owners was approximately 7 percent. While the economy has affected the entire county, local markets determine the necessity for any adjustments in valuations. Local markets are further defined by appraisal staff by dividing the entire county into numerous neighborhoods, referred to as “main neighborhoods”. Currently, there are approximately 50 main neighborhoods reviewed and analyzed during the countywide revaluation. Within each main neighborhood is a breakdown of smaller sub-neighborhoods. Market data is reviewed, analyzed and considered before a determination of value can be made; this market data generally includes all property sales transactions within the main and sub-neighborhoods. Certain types of properties and areas where little or no sales occurred require appraisers review expanded or countywide market data.

     The Board of Assessors is sworn to perform duties specified by Georgia law while complying with procedures and regulations set by the Georgia Department of Revenue and the Georgia Department of Audits. The foremost duty of the Assessors is to maintain fair market values on all properties within the county for the purpose of levying local taxes. The tax digest is used by the County Board of Commissioners, County School Board, and all municipalities to set a mill rate for taxing purposes. Mill rates are determined by those governing entities by dividing their total operating budget by the total digest valuation. Although the Board of Assessors is responsible for delivering the annual property tax digest, they have no connection to the governing authorities or the process of establishing mill rates.

     Upon receipt of the annual notice of assessment, the property owner is recommended to review the information contained on the notice of assessment and contact the office if any information is not correct. Property owners have 45 days to file a written appeal, if they wish to do so; appellants must submit a written appeal designating their declaration of one of the three methods to appeal. The three avenues for appeal are through the Board of Equalization, arbitrator or hearing officer. If a taxpayer wishes to discuss their assessment notice they may contact the office within the 45 day appeal period for an appointment at their convenience. We want to talk to everyone who has a question or issue; therefore, appointments will be made for taxpayers to meet with the Chief Appraiser, Joan Church, or Deputy Chief Appraiser, Stephanie Walker, if their questions or issues are not resolved by the appraisal staff. This process has been very beneficial to both sides since the taxpayer has been devoted a specified time to only their concern and we can be prepared to discuss specifics about their property. It can be difficult to determine an answer or action to some inquiries unless we have an opportunity to research and review our records. The Board of Assessors appreciates the patience and understanding of the taxpayers due to the vast number of inquiries, calls and visits to the office.

     If the taxpayer accepts the assessment value placed on their property, there is no action necessary. Property tax bills will be issued based on the assessment values later this year. Appraisers and office staff will be available during the appeal period to discuss the current year’s assessment with property owners who have questions and/or concerns. The Habersham Board of Assessors’ website, http://www.habershamga.com/taxassessors.cfm, is also available for important information and details concerning the various processes involved with the annual notice of assessments.

     For information concerning tax billing, please contact the office of the Habersham County Tax Commissioner, June Black, at (706) 754-2516, and for information pertaining to the establishment of annual mill rates, please contact the office of the Board of County Commissioners, County Manager, Janeann Allison, or Finance Director, Jason Tinsley, at (706) 754-6264. Property tax information is provided by the Board of Assessors’ office through the Habersham County website. Please note: Our department is currently updating all appraisal information (QPublic Host Site); therefore, appraisal information may change, on a daily basis, to reflect the most accurate information. Should you need further information or have questions relating to the valuation and/or appeal process, please feel free to contact our office staff at (706) 754-2557.