Muscogee County School Board split vote supports putting property tax freeze thaw proposal on ballot

The majority of the Muscogee County School Board supports allowing voters to decide next year whether Columbus will thaw its property tax freeze.

In a 6-3 vote during Monday night's meeting, the board approved a resolution that requests the local legislative delegation to ask the Georgia General Assembly for permission to place Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson's proposal on the Nov. 8, 2016, ballot.

The board members who voted for the resolution are chairman Rob Varner of District 5, vice chairwoman Pat Hugley Green of District 1, county-wide representative Kia Chambers, Athavia "A.J." Senior of District 3, Naomi Buckner of District 4 and Shannon Smallman of District 7. The board members who voted against the resolution are John Thomas of District 2, Mark Cantrell of District 6 and Frank Myers of District 8.

Although the school board isn't required to vote on whether the proposal should become a referendum, Tomlinson has said the legislative delegation prefers a local consensus from the governing bodies before taking such a request to the state capitol.

The school board's action completes that consensus, albeit a split one. Last week, also in a 6-3 vote, Columbus Council voted to approve a similar resolution. The councilors who voted for the resolution are citywide representative Skip Henderson, Pops Barnes of District 1, Evelyn Turner Pugh of District 4, Mike Baker of District 5, Mimi Woodson of District 7 and Tom Buck of District 8. The councilors who voted against the resolution are citywide representative Judy Thomas, Bruce Huff of District 3 and Gary Allen of District 6. Glenn Davis of District 2 was absent from the meeting.

Muscogee County voters approved the property tax freeze in 1982, affirmed it again in 1991, and it was upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court. Tomlinson, however, argues that her proposal never has been voted upon.

She proposes allowing homeowners to keep the freeze if they have it. They would cycle into the new system when they move from their current property, but the homestead exemption would increase from $13,500 to $20,000.

Proponents of the freeze say it helps give families and seniors financial assurance so they won't be taxed out of their homes. Tomlinson has said the freeze doesn't help homeowners in tough economic times because they can't benefit from downturns in valuations. And perhaps the most vocal argument against the freeze has been from new homeowners complaining they pay substantially more than their neighbors who have similar houses and receive the same city services.

According to a study from Benjamin Blair of the Butler Center for Business and Economic Research at Columbus State University, increasing the homestead exemption under the plan would cost the Columbus Consolidated Government $440,892 the first four years, but it would make up that revenue as the freeze thaws for a net gain of $2.3 million over the first 15 years.

Blair made a similar projection for the school district, which receives 57 percent of the county's property taxes. The total cost to MCSD for implementing the plan would be $599,746 in the first four years, but the net gain would be $3.1 million over the first 15 years.

Tomlinson has said her proposal allows the city and school district to benefit more from the local growth and better enables the governing bodies to keep up with the cost of services.

During the public agenda, seven residents spoke about the proposal. Five of them - Tracy Boyd, Tyler Townsend, Patricia Lassiter, Tom Flournoy and Jacy Jenkins - urged the board to support putting the issue on the ballot. The other two - Nathan Smith and Nadine Moore - urged the board to vote against the resolution.

That 5-2 public sampling foretold the board's vote. First, however, Thomas asked his fellow board members whether any of them would have a conflict of interest because they or their spouse work in real estate and might benefit if the property tax freeze is lifted, which Blair told the board would "take away one hindrance" in the market.

Chambers and Smallman, both of whom work in real estate, replied that they don't see a conflict of interest.

Myers argued that the district's "10 perpetually failing schools" stunt the county's growth more than the property tax freeze. Although he called the current property tax freeze "unfair," Myers said, "What we have here, no matter how you slice it, is a humongous tax increase coming. We've got to be better stewards of the people's money before we ask for more."

Cantrell explained he would vote no because, although he doesn't mind putting the question on the ballot, he doesn't want taxpayers to think the board supports lifting the freeze.

That's why Buckner emphasized, "We are voting simply to allow this item to be put on the ballot."

Myers asserted that the board was wasting time on a "nonbinding resolution."

Varner countered, "We receive 57 percent of every dollar taxed on property taxes. It is absolutely our business."

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Muscogee County School Board split vote supports putting property tax freeze thaw proposal on ballot ."