CCBOC gets an earful from St. Marys taxpayers.

Your intrepid (and sick as a dog) reporter just got back a few minutes ago from the regular CCBOC meeting in Woodbine. Many of the folks in the forefront of the tax protest showed up and addressed a very receptive CCBOC. Speakers included Jim Stein, Bert Guy, Tom Cyphers, Roger Rillo, and Rindy Howell. Steve Berry gave a truly excellent explanation of how the assessment system works and how it is hopelessly stacked against the taxpayer at the state level. If you have cable, you definitely want to watch him on the broadcasts this weekend. Berry pointed out that there is one option where the county could use the figures from a previous year with way lower property values and simply pay a +/- $50,000 fine for not using 2007 - 8 figures. That sounded like it is worth exploring. At any rate, two weeks from today, on the 17th of March (ESPLSOT vote day), at 4:00, the CCBOC will have a two hour workshop on what to do about this feckless board of assessors, including possibly having them removed. It is open to the public. On another matter, Sheriff Gregory took step one in a series of steps the feds are demanding in order to re-instate seized asset sharing. Tommy wanted to submit all requests to Mike Fender, who would have the physical possession of the check book. If Fender thought it was clearly a permissible expenditure, he would simply sign the check. If not he would refer it to Brent Green. If Green could not reach a conclusion as to legality, he would refer the request to the federal DOJ. Berry want to re-instate a 1994 agreement wherein the requests were review ( or were supposed to have been) by the whole CCBOC and voted on in open session. He lost 4 to 1. It seems to me that a better solution would have been to have the system they adopted , with the caveat that purchase over a certain amount would come before the board.