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Resident accuses county leaders of mismanagement; chairman denies tax‑fraud allegation
Summary
At the Nov. 12 Cusseta–Chattahoochee County commission meeting, resident Warren Williams alleged mismanagement, targeted tax‑assessor visits and patronage hiring; Chairman Charles Coffey denied the claims and said an assessor found an error affecting multiple properties.
Warren Williams, a resident who said he spoke on behalf of many county citizens, told the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners at their Nov. 12 meeting that he believes the county is beset by "mismanagement and lack of respect" and accused officials of retaliation and patronage hiring.
"It is not about race, color, gender," Williams said during the public‑comment period. "It is about human decency and respect and integrity." He said signs aimed at the chairman had been taken down, alleged that a chairman was accused of claiming homestead on more than one property, and said a tax‑assessor visited his property the day after he sought to be placed on the agenda.
Commissioner Damon Hoyte thanked Williams for speaking and said retaliation would not be tolerated; Hoyte said he would investigate the Facebook comment issue but that some allegations would require a response from Chairman Charles Coffey.
Chairman Charles Coffey addressed the accusations later in the meeting, saying he cared deeply for the county and denying any tax‑fraud wrongdoing. "To request for a homestead you have to request in writing and I have only ever done so on one piece of property," Coffey said, according to minutes. He told the commission he had no family members working for the county and said an assessor had identified an error that affected multiple property owners.
The commission did not take formal action on the complaints during the meeting. County Attorney Bin Minter said he would continue work with the cemetery committee on a separate ordinance and noted the county would pursue legal responses to pending litigation; an appeal connected to a magistrate court decision was scheduled for Dec. 6, according to the minutes.
The meeting record shows commissioners gave no public indication they had found evidence to substantiate Williams's claims during the session. The commission moved into a closed executive session later in the meeting to discuss legal matters and reconvened without recording votes taken during that closed session.
Next steps: The minutes show individual commissioners expressed intent to look into specific complaints (Hoyte on Facebook comments); the public record on other specific allegations raised by Williams remains unresolved in the meeting minutes.
