Pt. I: Financial Atomic Bomb about to be dropped on CC Taxpayers?

Commissioners getting “Lawyered UP!!” Against CC Employees and Citizens!!??
Report, Conclusions and commentary by Robert A

Folks, Robert A has been warning all Y’all citizens, taxpayers and voters all along that Cleveland County is, or soon will be, “broke.” That process began at the August 6, 2024 CC Commissioners meeting. For your convenience, the Youtube video link to that meeting is provided at the end of this article.

This latest adventure of Robert A’s began this past Monday, August 5, 2024. Robert A had received his 2024 CC Property Tax bill and, for the first time ever, decided to pay early to receive that tiny early payment discount. The thought being, “these several dollars will be dollars CC won’t be able to spend wastefully.” Little did Robert A realize, at that particular time the lessons he was about to learn. All by accident and all by paying attention to details.

So, Robert A, Tax bills and Checkbook in hand, arrives at the CC Offices on W. Marion Street in Shelby this past Monday. As Robert A enters the building, there is nobody inside the first-floor entrance/Lobby. Robert A casually walks through the lobby and bears West toward the Tax Collection offices. Nothing is amiss until Robert A arrives at the open door to the Tax Collections Office. Robert A notices to the right that there appears to be a bit of activity going on. There is a windowed door and windows in the walls that are beginning to be covered over from the inside with Official Cleveland County “markings” that say “Legal Department.” From where Robert A was standing and where the windows were not yet fully covered over, Robert A could see that there was a very large and very empty space that this CC Legal Department was about to move into. Robert A thought this was very strange. Robert A always pays attention to CC Government activities and knew for a fact that Cleveland County had no such thing as a Legal Department. A County Attorney, yes. A Legal Department, NO!!

But there was no line at the tax collection area, so Robert A walks through the “maze” and paid his taxes in full. All the while pondering over why the CC Commissioners thought they needed a whole separate Legal Department. And why was such a thing done with such secrecy???. Robert A smelled a rat!!! And things were just starting to come together in Robert A’s mind! But, for the moment, Robert A was still in the Tax Collection area heading for the exit door that was separate from the entrance and a little bit down the way.

When Robert A exited the Tax Collection area, there were several large bulletin boards with prominent signs describing the new 2024 Property Revaluation process and schedule. There were four steps to the process. The Property Revaluation Schedules were the very first thing and they were to be presented to the CC Commissioners in AUGUST, 2024. And, a CC Commissioner’s Meeting was scheduled for the very next day (evening). August 6, 2024. So, Robert A walks up the Stairs to the County Manager’s Office to confirm exactly when in August the Property Tax Revaluation Schedules would be on the Agenda for presentation to the Commissioners for approval. Yes, the Property Tax Schedules were indeed on the August 6, Commissioner’s Meeting agenda, but, go see the Tax Collector if there are any more questions about the actual Schedules and the process after the after the Property Tax Schedules were approved by the Commissioners and later turned into Property Tax BILLS. So, Robert A heads back downstairs to see the CC Tax Collector.

The CC Tax Collector was very helpful in explaining just exactly what the Revaluation Schedules consisted of. They were NOT bus or airline trip schedules, but were a series of property and parcel examples; like a series of home (for example) pictures that varied from large and fancy mansions on Moss Lake to the most-humble of abodes on the bad to worst sides of town. Then, each set of “Pictures” or “Schedule” was then labeled from AAA-ZZZ(?) with comparable sale prices determined which included variations for square footage, outbuildings, condition, age, location and such. Similar Schedules were determined for commercial, industrial, farms, etc. to cover the over 60,000 property “parcels” in ALL of Cleveland County.

Next, A Public Hearing will be scheduled for the Commissioner’s Meeting on September 17th, 2024, so county property owners, taxpayers and citizens will have the legal opportunity to Comment on the 2024 Property Revaluation Schedules. Those Schedules are available at the County Offices, various other places and are presently online on the Cleveland County Website.

Editor’s Note: This September 17. 2024 Public Hearing will only be about the Revaluation Schedules themselves as the Property tax BILLS, which includes the Property Tax Rates AND the Property’s appraised value, have not yet been determined by the CC Commissioners. Robert A believes, with complete certainty, that NO PROPERTY OWNER at this point would be able to identify which one of the many schedules the CC tax assessors have used for his particular property. (Read on for another glitch in what appears to be a major unfairness in this whole 2025 Revaluation Process.

Later, for each and every one of these 60,000+ parcels, the most appropriate “schedule” will be determined, all the pluses and minuses will be considered and a 2025 Revaluation worth or appraised “value” will be determined and developed for all of those individual parcels. Then, that “value” for that particular parcel will be mailed out to the individual owner(s) of record. NOTE That this appraised value is NOT yet used to calculate the property Tax Bill, which includes the 2025 Property TAX RATE. Which will be determined in May or June of 2025

Editor’s Note: By the time Property Owners receive their Tax Bills in July or August of 2025, it is too late to appeal their Property Tax Revaluated values in 2025. Taxpayers only option would be to pay their full tax bills and appeal their valuations for the 2026 tax years.

Robert A recommends ALL CC property owners to APPEAL their 2025 Property Revaluation Values immediately after the September 17, 2024 Public Hearing. Once you file an appeal, it is appealed. If you then learn that you are OK with your 2025 Property Tax Bill, you can drop your appeal. Otherwise, YOU are screwed.

The remainder of this series of articles is coming very, very soon.

PS: Also, folks, remember that the 2024 Elections are NOT OVER YET!!! Not until the December 5, 2024 General Elections are complete and the ballots counted. IF YOU STAY HOME like you did in the 2024 Primary Elections, it is all over. Cleveland County is broke and you, your children and grandchildren will be left paying the bills of this major debt these present Commissioners; Kevin Gordon, Ronnie Whetstine Johnny Hutchins, Deb Hardin and Doug Bridges have left you with. What you will hear from Robert A after that is “I told you so!!!”

Citizens, if you want to bring your county government’s spending and waste under control, YOU have only this one option.

Robert A recommends voting in the 2024 General Elections for the Commissioner and the CCS School Board Candidates as follows:(Please vote for ALL of the Candidates listed below to provide the maximum Ballot Security!!)

Cleveland County Commissioner Candidate recommendations:

Tony Berry
Stormy Mongiello
David Peace

Cleveland County School Board Candidate recommendations:

Kenneth A. Ledford
David Fisher
Gloria Sherman
Rod Powell
Tracy Ross