Gainesville resident urges city to address customer service, property rules during council meeting

At Tuesday’s Gainesville mayor and council meeting, resident Tory Bennett used his public-comment time to describe repeated customer-service problems at city offices and to raise questions about property-permitting rules and local tax assessments.

Bennett identified himself as a longtime resident of the Sunset Heights subdivision and said, “I’ve been in Gainesville, Georgia my entire life.” He told the council staff at payment counters had given him a brusque reception and that he was refused a copy of a check when he asked for one. He said those interactions left him frustrated as a taxpayer.

Bennett also complained about limits the city or other local authorities place on activating power to vacant property. “Why do you need permission to get power?” he asked the council, saying he owns a small vacant lot on which he pays more than $2,000 a year in property taxes and that code enforcement appears inconsistent across neighborhoods.

The mayor responded that the city values customer service and offered to connect Bennett with the appropriate departments for follow-up. The mayor also clarified that the city does not set property tax assessments, saying the tax assessor’s office for that jurisdiction is Hall County and suggesting Bennett consider an appeal or meet with staff to review his situation.

No formal action was taken on Bennett’s comments during the meeting; staff was offered as a point of follow-up.