County may be losing tax revenue

Published 8:45 pm Monday, February 9, 2009

A Chilton County Commissioner says the county is not collecting all the revenue it should be getting from manufactured home decals.

Red Turnipseed made a motion yesterday that the commission consider hiring an inspector to help collect taxes due on manufactured homes that are not assessed with the property on which they sit.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to collect that money,” he said. “The more we collect, the less we’re going to have to borrow.”

Turnipseed said there are basically two kinds of manufactured homes in the county — those that are assessed with the property, and those that are registered separately.

According to the Alabama Manufactured Home Act of 1991, such homes located on the owner’s property and not held for rental or lease are carried on the real property tax rolls in the County Tax Assessor’s Office. All others must be registered in the Tax Collector’s Office.

Decals are issued to all manufactured homes. However, the county currently does not have a specific person to check to see if homes are in compliance.

“You just don’t see them,” Turnipseed said. “I don’t know if they’re not putting them on their homes or if they’re not purchasing them.”

While all commissioners voted for the measure, not all agree that hiring an inspector is the answer.

“I really don’t think it will pay for itself,” Heedy Hayes said.

In other business, the commission:

Declared a drug dog surplus at the request of Sheriff Kevin Davis. The dog in question is an older animal, and the department has two other dogs.

Declared an 18-wheeler, trailer, and armored personnel carrier surplus at the sheriff’s request.

Voted to request bids on a new fire alarm system for the courthouse. Bids are due March 6 and will be opened during the first meeting in March.

Voted to allow a mile of resurfacing on County Road 59 — including a bridge replacement — near the entrance of a new industrial park, but only if funding becomes available.

Agreed to let Chuck Hogue advertise for the closing of an unnumbered county road off County Road 73 near the Shelby County line.

Went into executive session to discuss a pending legal matter.