Jones County assessors face removal process after peer review flags compliance gaps; commissioners request reevaluation RFP

Mister Nolan, an attorney retained by the Jones County Board of Commissioners, told the Board of Tax Assessors on Feb. 6 that the commissioners voted to remove two members of the assessors’ board and that the removals are subject to a Superior Court hearing under state law. "On February 3, I filed a petition asking for a hearing," Nolan said, and he cited OCGA 48-5-295 as the statute that requires a judicial recommendation before the commissioners take a final removal vote.

The matter stems from a county peer-review of the assessors’ office that Nolan said documented several instances of noncompliance, including a sales-ratio study the review identified as out of compliance for tax years 2022 and 2023. Nolan told the board the commissioners’ vote followed that review and the earlier letters the commissioners sent in December outlining grounds for removal. "Until that time, ... no decision has been made," Nolan said of the final removal outcome for the named members; he added that the affected assessors maintain the right to a superior-court hearing and remain board members until the court issues…