Bob Ridgway
AMERICUS — Elderly should be exempt from school taxes
I am a four year resident of our county, and I am an 18 year past resident of Athens/Clarke County. I helped get a resolution of this nature passed in Clarke County. I am writing to express my concern about other counties giving tax relief for senior citizens (62) who are exempt from the school portion of the property tax by a large number of North Georgia counties. We need to look seriously about doing this, for it has been done with the following counties Bartow, Cobb, Cherokee, Dade, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Fannin, Hart, Rabun, Union, Clarke, and Habersham just to name a few. We definitely need to look into the measure that was passed in Cobb County that exempts all school taxes for senior citizens over the age of 62 limiting this to their homestead and 1-2 acres of land. Cobb County uses one acre as a homestead. My reasoning for this is fourfold:
1. Senior citizens are on fixed incomes, and they have paid for their children to attend the public schools. Now they are presently paying for their grandchildren and in many cases they are paying for their great grandchildren. It is my understanding that a number of the senior citizens that live on the “River” are having a hard time paying their taxes because years ago they decided to retire on the “River,” and their property valuations have gone up drastically in recent years. It is a very sad situation to be forced to sell your home to enable you to pay your taxes for children you have paid for years previously. In the several commission meetings I attended, the majority of the people that were complaining of there taxes were older folks that lived on the river, this measure would help with their financial problems. Please think of your mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles as well as other older fine people that live within our county. Not to mention the good people that will move into our county because of a tax incentive to do so.
2. Senior citizens are a wonderful group of folks to live in our county as well as our cities. They are a great source of volunteer workers; for a large number of these people have talents that can be tapped for civic clubs, churches, and community projects. They also can make excellent mentors for our school system. Not to mention we have a National Cemetery, and the home of one of the Presidents of The United States of America is located in our county. (Remember that there haven’t been, but 42 total, and we just happen to have one of them!)
3. We are now in the process of rebuilding our hospital with a projected completion date of 2011. As stated above, many of these senior citizens will go to our hospitals to work as volunteers. These fine Americans become ill from time to time, and they become paying patients as well. They pay their hospital bills through Medicaid, Insurance plans, etc, thus adding to the revenues of any excellent hospital. If we are going to have a vibrant community we need an excellent hospital, for this is one of the major factors a new corporation has to have when they consider moving. This will help bring needed doctors back to our community. I could go on and on here, but I think you can see what I mean. (With the baby boom upon us, what about having an excellent hospital that specializes in geriatrics? I was taught that all you need is a vision, and then go for it.) Does Sumter county commission have a vision? Or is it we plod along waiting for something to happen?
4. Senior citizens are a great source of economic wealth for our county. WE MUST be in front of the economic curve in promoting our county to these people as the North Georgia counties are doing. We need to be the leading County in South Georgia because they shop with our local businesses, play golf on our golf courses, bank with our local banks, and attend and get involved with our local churches. They build homes and/or live in retirement communities. They love to retire to a small college town, as well as one with an excellent technical college. A lot of these people get involved with the schools as well. We have all these things we just need to promote the fact that Americus/Sumter County is an excellent place to retire and live! This tax incentive would be a great inducement to get these great Americans to move to our fine county. These older folks do not require many of our county services because they are not criminals, and they do not fill up our jails. As I’ve stated above, they serve as excellent mentors for the children within our school system which many school teachers and school administrators feel we definitely need.
I have discussed this with a number of local citizens including Representative Cheokas and Senator Hooks (in fact George sent me the copy of the Cobb County resolution passed by the house and senate, who both informed me they thought it was an excellent idea.) I have left Lynn Taylor, a copy (almost a year ago) of the Cobb County resolution that was passed and instituted in their county on December 31 1978, as she informed me, “Bob we can’t afford to do this.” I submit to Ms. Taylor we can’t afford not to give the citizens of this county the opportunity to choose their future and not be decided on by some unelected county official. Do we need to say we are 30 years behind times? I suggest we go the full mile, and the county commission vote to let the citizens’ vote in next year’s general election to vote this measure up or down. The commissioners voting to let the citizens’ vote on this measure is not a vote for the measure; it is to enable the voters of Sumter county vote yes/no on one of the more progressive pieces of legislation that can be passed for the long term betterment of our county. As I stated above Cobb County had the foresight under our present U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, who was in the State Legislature from Cobb County, and he got this measure passed over 30 years ago! My question, are we going to continue behind that same old south bound mule that this county has been behind, or are we going to be the first county in South Georgia that lets its citizens decide what is best for them. I suggest that all of you that feel as I do let your County Commissioner know that you want to decide what is best for our county not by some unelected county official. Assuming this measure is voted on and passed by the electorate. Then Representative Cheokas, & Senator Hooks will bring it before the two houses of the legislature to make it a law according to the Georgia Constitution.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this measure, and if I could answer any questions you might have I would be glad to attend one of you meetings. Once again thanks for your consideration in this matter.
Robert H. Ridgway III
Americus
P.S. If you will study your Georgia history Ms. Taylor, back before the turn of the century. The years after the Civil War saw many northern capitalists moving south. Added to that number were soldiers who remembered the warm southern winters and despite the tribulations of the war found their way south for the health benefits offered by the climate.
All across South Georgia there appeared hotels This is why “The Windsor” is here today.
The rich who had managed to acquire plantations in the southern tiers of counties across South Georgia often brought guest in by the “trainload” to experience the fishing and hunting and climate. The market was “ripe” for exploitation ...
I have seen many families move into Sumter County from Florida in the last four years because of the recent storms in Florida. All we have to do while the economy is in a recession is give these people as well as others an incentive to move here. Ms. Taylor please get out from behind that “Old South Bound Mule, and take off your blinders!” Let be a can do county, and see where it leads Sumter County. Remember: “A rising tide raises all boats!”
