Comments (0) | |

Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Push to regulate Bibb boards of assessors moves forward

ATLANTA — The push to make sure there are no repeats of a scandal in the Bibb County Tax Assessor’s Office moved forward Wednesday at the state Capitol.

Senate Bill 118, sponsored by state Sen. Robert Brown, would make it illegal to serve on a board of assessors, then take a job with the board within 12 months. In October 2004, board member Robert Gerhardt voted to fire Chief Appraiser Calvin Hicks.

The following August, Gerhardt was named Hicks’ replacement.

Gerhardt himself was fired in 2006, after massive problems with the tax digest his office produced caused the county to abandon his methods and perform another property revaluation, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

The entire board of assessors eventually was ousted by the Bibb County Commission.

Brown’s bill passed the Senate Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday, moving it into the Senate Rules Committee. That committee decides which bills get to the Senate floor for full debate.

“I don’t see that there would be any real objection to it (moving forward),” Brown, D-Macon, said.

State Rep. David Lucas, D-Macon, pushed for similar legislation in 2006, but it did not pass. Brown has picked up the effort, and his bill has moved slowly. It initially was introduced during last year’s legislative session.

To contact writer Travis Fain call 361-2702.