Commission appoints Sheila Wilson to Tax Assessor board despite objection tied to pending lawsuit

The Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County appointed Sheila Wilson to Post 2 on the county Board of Tax Assessors, effective July 1, 2025, for a four-year term.

Commissioner Gerald Douglas moved to approve the appointment; Vice-Chairman Timothy Biddle seconded. Commissioner Damon Hoyte moved to table the appointment but the motion received no second and therefore died. Chairman Charles Coffey then called for the vote. The appointment passed with Hoyte recorded in opposition; Commissioner Jason Frost was absent.

Chairman Charles Coffey also told the record that Commissioner Hoyte is a plaintiff in litigation naming Sheila Wilson and others, and told Hoyte the situation could present a potential ethics conflict if he participated in decisions involving a person he is suing. "Commissioner Hoyte you are suing Ms. Sheila Wilson... it is a potential violation of ethics," Coffey said during the discussion. Hoyte had earlier urged the commission to consider other applicants who were not brought forward at the work session.

County Clerk Lisa Bickel told the commission that the Tax Assessor Post 2 vacancy had been open for about two years and that additional applicants, including Latrese Brown and Elizabeth DeMunn, had submitted materials after the work session. The commission approved Wilson’s appointment and the resolution documenting the approval cites state statute authority for appointments to the Board of Tax Assessors.

The commission did not take further action on the competing applicants during the July 1 meeting; the clerk noted applicants may be considered for future openings.

Next steps: Wilson’s term begins July 1, 2025; the county will file the appointment resolution in its records.