GAINESVILLE - Hall County's chief tax appraiser is keeping his job, and the president of a citizens watchdog group is not happy about it.
"I'm appalled," was the reaction Monday afternoon from Paul Barnes, head of Hall County Citizens for Efficient Government. "(It was) just a slap on the hand. The 'good old boy' system is alive and well in Hall County."
Barnes said his group was "hoping they would vote not to renew his contract."
The tax assessors board met in a special called executive session Monday morning, according to assistant Hall County Administrator Phil Sutton.
Sutton confirmed that the board voted 3-2 to issue the reprimand against Mike Henderson, who had been accused of receiving a homestead exemption on land where he did not live in addition to owing almost $900 in back taxes to Hall County and using a county vehicle for personal reasons.
Earlier this year, board chairman Emory Martin resigned amid allegations - raised in February by two retired members of the board, Lyman Martin and James Cantrell - that he collected pay for days that he did not work.
Since then, the county commission has increased the size of the board from three to five members.
In a letter to Board Chairman Terrell Gaines earlier this month, Barnes said his group feels "that this latest incident is a back breaking occurrence within an already disastrous parade of horrible choices in judgment. We feel this office is now beyond repair without absolute and total new leadership at all levels."
Included with the letter, which was also sent to three other members of the board and to the five members of the Hall County Board of Commissioners, are three attachments which offer summaries of what Barnes says is the group's investigations.
According to the documents, a private investigator was hired to help document some of the allegations.
Wednesday
October 9th, 2024
2:23PM
