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Resident tells commission property tax increases are overwhelming longtime owners
Summary
At the start of the meeting a longtime resident, Johnny Blackall, said recent assessments produced an unusually high land valuation and that taxes have risen sharply; he described an appeal outcome and said he is contesting future bills.
Johnny Blackall, introduced from the public‑comment podium, said he has owned property in the county for decades and that a recent assessment raised the land value to what he said was $702,000. He told the commission that property taxes had risen substantially — he characterized it as a 75% increase — and described an earlier appeal that reduced his bill but that a future bill is expected to be larger. "These taxes are too high for the people that have lived here for 70 something years or a hundred years," he said.
Blackall said he had paid portions of the bill, had another appeal in process with a Nashville office, and that he does not intend to pay what he described as the full amount until the matter is resolved. He said his parcel is landlocked (about 28.54 acres by his account) and expressed fear of a forced sale; when asked, he added a strongly worded personal remark about defending his property. The commission acknowledged his comments during public comment and moved on to the scheduled public hearings.
The commission did not take action on his assessment matter during the informal meeting; staff suggested the assessor's office would be the appropriate office for questions about valuations and appeals.
