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Multiple speakers urge county action on Hechoka Retreat Center tax‑exemption and assessment dispute
Summary
Several speakers spoke during public comment asking Burke County to grant tax‑exempt status to Hechoka Retreat Center and to resolve a property assessment dispute they say has dragged on for years; speakers said the center provides equine therapy and housing services for vulnerable residents.
Several speakers used the public‑comment period Tuesday to urge county action on a disputed tax assessment and a request for county tax‑exempt status for Hechoka (also spelled Hochoka in some remarks) Retreat Center, a nonprofit that provides equine therapy and transitional housing services.
Kimberly Clark, identified in the meeting as the founder of Healing with Horses and associated with Hechoka, said the organization is a federal 501(c)(3) and asked the county to grant matching county tax‑exempt status. Clark said county staff had not responded to written requests and that the group has engaged legal counsel and filed a lawsuit after a prolonged administrative process. "The legal games need to stop because it's a bleed out at this point," Clark said during public comment.
Other speakers included Cindy Brown, a paramedic who described using equine therapy for provider burn‑out and urged support for the retreat center’s veteran and first‑responder programs, Joseph Tate (board member), and Marsha Love (board member) who said the center operates on donations, volunteers and grants and requested that the county resolve the center’s valuation and tax‑exemption status promptly.
Why it matters: Speakers said Hechoka offers mental‑health and rehabilitative services for veterans, first responders, people experiencing homelessness and those with developmental challenges. They told the board that the center’s property has been assigned a taxable assessed value and that the county has not granted an exemption or resolved an appeal process to their satisfaction.
Board response and next steps: The county attorney said staff will continue to communicate with the center’s attorney and work toward a resolution in the pending case. No board vote or formal county action was taken during the public‑comment period.
Ending: Speakers asked the board to expedite review and to make a decision so the nonprofit can proceed with programs and possible small transitional housing projects.
