9:44 PM Commission Chairman and Commissioners Are Being Deceptive - Explanation Of Property Tax Mills

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 1768

Posted by: RStokes
[email protected]
334-790-1729
Date: Oct 13 2024 9:56 PM

HOUSTON COUNTY:   This past Friday Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe posted on his FACEBOOK page the following:

FROM HOUSTON COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN BRANDON SHOUPE FACEBOOK:  "Governmental authorities that can adjust your property taxes shouldn’t be immune from public oversight." (Shoupe is taking about Southeast Health.)

" Vote YES on Amendment 1 "

CLICK FOR FACEBOOK POST

Brandon Shoupe limited who can comment on this post following his being grilled with questions about the post. 

DISCUSSION AND FACT CHECK ME ON THE FOLLOWING;  

A "mill" of property tax is $ 10.00 on property worth $ 100,000.00 with homestead exemption. The formula I can not really explain, but this is the easiest to understand.

When they mention " mill " property tax - it is not millions, it is $ 10.00 per $ 100,000.00 of the value of your property if homestead exemption.

In 1949 the registered voters of Houston County passed a " health care facility tax ". It was passed with some 60% voting yes and 39% voting no. That is the 4 "mills" property tax.

Houston County currently has a millage rate of 17.5. Its total combined state, county and municipal rate is 34.5, according to the Houston County Revenue Department.

The mill rate is the amount of tax payable per dollar of the assessed value of a property. As used in property tax, 1 mill is equal to $1 in property tax levied per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

Prior to 1981 the property owners in Houston County were paying the 4 "mills" property tax. Then Steve Phelps entered the picture along this time and took over as Chief Executive Officer of what is now Southeast Health.

Phelps then started National Healthcare. Later Phelps moved to National Healthcare who had the management contract for what is now Southeast Health. Sometime in the early 1980’s Steve Phelps announced while the hospital was authorized 4 "mills" property tax they were reducing it to 1.5 "mills". The law passed in 1949 still authorized the 4 "mills", but Phelps asked the Revenue Commissioner to only collect 1.5 "mills".

National Healthcare was rocking and rolling. They purchased the six story building where the Houston County Administrative Building is currently located. They went on the stock exchange and a lot of Dothan’s who’s - who purchased stock in National Healthcare.

On January 9, 1987, NHC announced that it expected a $7,000,000 write-off for the second quarter of fiscal 1987 (the quarter ending December 31, 1986), but a profit nonetheless was predicted for the year. Immediately after that announcement, the stock price declined to approximately $3.50 per share.

National Healthcare TANKED.

Lawsuits filed.

CLICK FOR CASE

Things rock on. Mr. Ron Owens was the Chief Executive Officer. What is now Southeast Health started ACOM. A school to train doctors. Owens and his management team went to the Houston County Commission and requested to increase the "mills" collected from 1.5 "mills" to 2.5 "mills". What is known as Southeast Health was still approved by the registered voters to collect 4 "mills" of property tax.

Things rock on. New Houston County Commissioners, some of who have never run a business or a successful business, who just did not understand, started that Southeast Health wanted a tax increase. What Southeast Health asked for was to increase the "mills" by 1.5 "mills" to return to the 4 "mills" approved by the registered voters of Houston County in 1949.

Today, Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe, D3 Commissioner Ricky Herring and others are saying that Southeast Health can raise your property taxes. THIS IS NOT ACCURATE FACTS.

The registered voters approved 4 "mills" in 1949. It was decreased in what was being collected but the entire time Southeast Health could ask for the 4 "mills" and they did.

Your home is worth $ 247,100.00. The increase asked for by Southeast Health is $ 25.00 per year of increased property tax of $ 247,100.00 home. Again, it was approved in 1949 by the registered voters in Houston County.

The Houston County Commission, then D1 Harvey, D2 Sinquefield, D3 Herring and D4 Shoupe, all commissioners at the time, increased your garbage collection fees by $ 60.00 per year. So the increase by the commission to collect garbage was $ 35.00 a year more than what Southeast Health increased, which was already approved decades ago. The garabge fee was a new "fee" but is really a "tax". Passed by your county commissioners.

NOT BEEN IN OFFICE TWO YEARS YET 

I am blown away with the half truths and basic lies being told by Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe and D3 Commissioner Ricky Herring. They say the Healthcare Authority can raise your taxes. NO THEY CAN NOT.

The reason that I am against what these group of commissioners are trying to do in changing the appointment process is, their intentions are not pure and they are not honest.

The actions of Chairman and D3 Herring, their hate and destain for some of the Southeast Health Board members, the stories that are not factual that Chairman Shoupe and County Commissioners are telling, are deceptive and not truthful. They are clearly attempting to do a power grab. And that is not in the best interest of people in need of medical care.

So there is no way that RSN can support Local Amendment 1 or 2. Bottom line, the motives of Chairman Shoupe and the County Commissioners are not pure and honest, in my opinion.

FACT CHECK ME ... call the Houston County Revenue Department and ask about " mill " property tax.

... and D3 Ricky Herring has not released the tapes that he secretly recorded in these conversations. His failure to release the tapes is proof he is being dishonest, in my opinion. Ricky Herring - RELEASE THE TAPES !!!

 

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