The Miller County Commissioners (BOC) met jointly with the Miller County Board of Assessors (BOA) and the tax commissioner. They all questioned Jim Norman, a certified appraiser, with the firm Norman & Associates, Inc. of Chattanooga, TN.

The purpose of the meeting on Tuesday, July 8, was to see if the county would hire the Tennessee firm to reevaluate the homes and lots in the county for a fee of approximately $70,000.00. This would not include the revaluation of farm land or personal property. That would be done after the reevaluation of homes and lots for additional costs.

A request was made from the County Commissioner's office for a copy of the minutes of the Commission Special meeting and the Board of Assessor's special meeting held on July 8. As of late Monday night, we could not get those minutes.

It is nearly impossible to hear what is going on at the BOC meetings in the annex, but this reporter did understand that the county would pay for the BOA to employ Norman & Associates, Inc of Chattanooga, TN. The BOC told the BOA that they should look for a local person to work in the Assessors Office that would go to school and pass the tests required by the State of Georgia to qualify to working that office.

The BOC just fired the Tax Assessor 3 when he upped the valuations on some of the county commissioner's properties. The lady that was working in the office that was to go to tax assessor's school quit. There are no qualified employees in that office at this time, and the new digest is to be approved soon.

The salary for the new employee to be hired has been set at $30,000. The BOC told the BOA that the new employee would not start at that salary, but would be raised as he/she passed the required tests.

There was lots discussion with Appraiser Norman on what the BOA wanted him to do.

One of the commissioners stated as he left, "You taxpayers can get ready to pay more and more taxes."

More information will follow when we get minutes and numbers.