A controversy involving an alleged unknown homestead exemption application involving Hall County Tax Commissioner Darla Eden was heard at Thursday’s Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting.
The issue began in November of 2023, when it is reported that an unidentified individual utilizing Hall County’s Qpublic online portal submitted an unauthorized homestead exemption application for a property belonging to Eden.
Eden was unaware of the application until Feb. 28 of 2024 when she was alerted to an open records request by someone named “George Diaz” requesting documents related to the homestead application for Eden.
Eden met with Hall County’s Chief Assessor the following day, denouncing the legitimacy of the application and wanted the process halted.
A week later, the Hall County Board of Assessors placed the application on their March 6 meeting agenda for consideration.
The board formally denied the application, triggering a “homestead exemption denied” notation on Eden’s tax assessment notice.
“That will follow her forever, and that’s wrong,” Eden’s counsel Ken Jarrard said. “There is one primary objective of public records and that is to speak the truth and these don’t.”
A subsequent Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) investigation into the matter did not yield any results after a request to interview Diaz by HCSO was denied according to Eden’s counsel Ken Jarrard.
Due to the fact there were no criminal charges filed, Diaz did not have to speak with the sheriff’s office.
Eden and Jarrard were requesting official support for the tax commissioner, and “good faith cooperation” by the Board of Assessors to remove the “denied” notation from her records.
The board tabled the formal support at the May 22 meeting and ultimately moved to deny it on Thursday.
“The Board of Assessors has been very resolute in not wanting to participate in cleaning up this document,” Jarrard said. “My client simply wants the words removed from her tax record.”
Eden also wanted Hall County to launch an investigation into who exactly filed the application if Hall County was not able to remove the denial from her records.
Hall County Board of Commissioners Chairman David Gibbs asked Jarrard if the denial can be legally removed, with Jarrard saying it could be.
Hall County Commissioner for District 4 and Vice Chairman Jeff Stowe and District 3 Commissioner Gregg Poole noted that the board does not have the authority to remove the denial from Eden’s records.
“This is the biggest waste of taxpayer dollars I think I’ve ever witnessed,” Stowe said. “We’re all very disappointed in our tax assessor board members that they have not resolved this, but I think both sides are very at-fault and for that fact I cannot support this resolution.”
Stowe also questioned if anyone would ever even look at the homestead denial on Eden’s record, to which Gibbs said “then why not just take it off.”
“How much more is the county supposed to spend in what I think is a personal matter,” Stowe said.
The denial of public support for Eden passed 3-2, with Poole and Gibbs voting against denial. Stowe, District 1 Commissioner Kathy Cooper, and District 2 Commissioner Billy Powell all voted to deny.
