By Alan Powdermaker

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A. The Tax Appraisers office is charged by The State and The Constitution with specific responsibilities to appraise property according to very narrow formulas. While the elected County Appraiser may want to "please" local taxpayers by keeping values low, this would not be possible under existing law.

B, The penalty to the Appraisers Office and The County could be disastrous if these guidelines are NOT followed.

C. Unlike most counties , our Appraisers Office is prepared to meet privately with ANY citizens and review their personal situation whether it be Value, Homestead or other matter. The vast majority of problems WILL be solved at that level with private and courteous treatment.

D. If Taxpayers take their legal appeal to the VAB, they should do so without the benefit of emotional arguments and should have comparability facts and information available. The use of outside "counsel" to assist taxpayers is probably recommended at this level.

E. The need for Florida to review its laws with respect to property taxes is probably long overdue and will represent a long and hotly debated arena.

F. The REAL issue of increased taxes has little to do with the Tax Appraisers Office. It is the annual budgets set by the County and the OTHER TAXING AUTHORITIES that determine the Millage rate. The BCC (local government) is only about 45% of the total taxing revenues in Walton County.

G. If Taxpayers are TRULY concerned about their Taxes (not their property value) they MUST become personally involved in the County Budgeting process, the School Board Budgeting Process and the other Taxing Authorities.

H. Commissioner Meadows suggested that concerned Taxpayers become proactive and very specific and vocal with their lists of priorities for the individual taxing authorities.

I. WCTA recommends that Walton County Government limit their budget increases to the total of population growth percentages plus cost of living indexes.