Why nothing about the reassessment?
Blogger Cliff Garstang got my attention with his interview with Tracy Pyles, and an extensive one at that, that appeared on his Cobalt6 website on Thursday. One thing was noticeably missing in the 1,772-word lovefest, though – even a single mention of the word reassessment. Continue reading “Why nothing about the reassessment?” »
Above the law
South River Supervisor David Beyeler wagged his finger at the angry mob facing him. “I have taken an oath of office to uphold the laws of this state of Virginia, and I will look every one of you as close as I can in the eye, and I’m going to ask you, Do you believe in obeying the laws of this state, whether you agree with them or not?” Beyeler said moments before the March 11 vote of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to kill a motion from Pastures Supervisor Tracy Pyles to roll back the controversial 2009 county property reassessment due to what appear to have been serious flaws in the assessment. Continue reading “Above the law” »
Of revolts and tone-deaf responses
The leaders of the Augusta County citizens group leading the fight against the 2009 county property reassessment took to calling their effort a tax revolt, which I thought was a bit overwrought even as I thought their general point, that the reassessment was basically botched, was right on. Overwrought doesn’t begin to describe the finger-wagging lecture of Board of Supervisors Chairman David Beyeler to the would-be revolutionaries once they had been vanquished. Continue reading “Of revolts and tone-deaf responses” »
Supes duped by legal jargon
The newspaper headlines suggesting that the Augusta County Board of Supervisors’ hands are tied with respect to legal remedies regarding the widely disputed general property reassessment come across to me as misleading.
It’s not exactly breaking news to me that the county attorney, Pat Morgan, would say that he can’t find any “lawful way,” as he wrote in a report to the Board of Supervisors presented on Monday, that the Board can halt or adjust the reassessment. I say that because the strategy offered by the single member of the Board of Supervisors, Pastures Supervisor Tracy Pyles, who has been advocating for the large contingent of county residents who have been fighting this fight, is not at all a “lawful” one, but that has been the point all along. Continue reading “Supes duped by legal jargon” »
Don’t spin on me
The spin is in, which is evident as we’re being told that recent sales figures in Augusta County indicate that the much-maligned reassessments are right on, if not a tad low given the market activity.
I call this spin, because we really know nothing about the parcels that we’re being told have been selling above their new reassessed values other than that they’re selling above their reassessed values. Continue reading “Don’t spin on me” »
Augusta County ’09 reassessment
Property assessments in Augusta County are up nearly 30 percent countywide, and individual property owners are seeing increases as much as 300 percent.
A citizens group is leading an effort to get the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to consider delaying the implementation of the new assessments. Continue reading “Augusta County ’09 reassessment” »
Videocast | Attorney demands answers from county
Churchville attorney Francis Chester was in Verona on Tuesday to hand-deliver letters to two Augusta County officials demanding answers to questions on the controversial 2009 county reassessment. AFP editor Chris Graham caught up with Chester and filed this report. Length: 3:06. Continue reading “Videocast | Attorney demands answers from county” »
Attorney threatening legal action regarding petitions, assessment worksheets
One is a bit of a fishing expedition. The other is basic First Amendment rights. And in Francis Chester’s hands, both are ticking time bombs aimed at March 11.
The Churchville attorney was at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona Tuesday afternoon to hand-deliver letters to county administrator Patrick Coffield and commissioner of the revenue Jean Shrewsbury related to the ongoing fight against the 2009 county property reassessment. Continue reading “Attorney threatening legal action regarding petitions, assessment worksheets” »
An obvious solution to the assessment controversy in Augusta
I reached out my hand to Arlie Wolfe. “How does it feel to be a millionaire?” I asked the Middlebrook man, who, for the record, isn’t really a millionaire, no matter what the piece of paper his wife, Joan, had in her purse had to say about the matter.
Arlie and Joan had bought their 400-acre farm property that backs into a mountain in the middle of Augusta County 10 years ago for $167,000. It was reassessed four years ago for $585,000. The piece of paper in Joan’s purse has it at over $1.6 million. Continue reading “An obvious solution to the assessment controversy in Augusta” »
