Displaced Gullah Geechee Descendants Make Efforts To Return Home (Savannah: 2015, assessors)

[Airforceguy]

Pretty neat story, I hope they are successful in their efforts.
Displaced Gullah Geechee Descendants Make Efforts To Return Home | Georgia Public Broadcasting

[Mutiny77]

I certainly hope this injustice is rectified. It just pains and angers me to read stories like these.

[SavannahLife]

what they should also do is to stop that county from raising taxes astronomically on the people that live there. They are raising property value through the roof and expecting them to pay just as if they were on mainland and getting all the proper municipal services, which they are not. It's probably (?) a ploy by the corrupt McIntosh County assessors to kick them out so their buddies can build mcmansions out there. And trash it for visitors and residents both. It should be simple to solve: Grandfather the original residents in. If they sell out, then the new buyer has to pay current market value assessment. (don't they do this on tybee?) Also with this proposal they should also take care to balance it so as not to open pandoras' box on development in the reserve. Sapelo is amazing. Visit it if you can. You will be hard pressed not to enjoy it!

[912]

Originally Posted by SavannahLife

what they should also do is to stop that county from raising taxes astronomically on the people that live there. They are raising property value through the roof and expecting them to pay just as if they were on mainland and getting all the proper municipal services, which they are not. It's probably (?) a ploy by the corrupt McIntosh County assessors to kick them out so their buddies can build mcmansions out there. And trash it for visitors and residents both. It should be simple to solve: Grandfather the original residents in. If they sell out, then the new buyer has to pay current market value assessment. (don't they do this on tybee?) Also with this proposal they should also take care to balance it so as not to open pandoras' box on development in the reserve. Sapelo is amazing. Visit it if you can. You will be hard pressed not to enjoy it!

So we should have two sets of standards for people. This is what you're saying.

I have an idea. How about NO?

[pink caddy]

Originally Posted by 912

So we should have two sets of standards for people. This is what you're saying.

I have an idea. How about NO?

LOL. Savannah Life you really need to re-think that post and the consequences (historical) it would have.

[SavannahLife]

letting original owners stay, by keeping their taxes low = keep sapelo like it is, beautiful.
Let yuppies put up mcmansions = it sucks.

912 you got me right. it's a market-based approach. so no one is forced to do anything. If they want to sell sure they can. But if they stay they should get tax breaks. Or rather not have taxes raised sky-high. It's not like they are getting anything for their taxes, they are basically self-sufficient! Are you against granting them a fair tax rate!?

And if you want to build a yupster mcMansion, ok, yes sure go ahead, but it will get assessed at fair market value. Why is this controversial!? Seems pretty fair right? Basically I just think the original owners should not get taxed a crazy amount. McIntosh County Assessors office is trying to push them out deliberately with high property value assessment taxes. It's disgusting and sad.

I do not think that is a good thing at all for anyone, people visiting and enjoying and especially people that live there. It will devolve into yupsters complaining about the dust on their dirt roads they moved on to, like Dafuskie, and then in 20 years Sapelo will be Hilton Head. Don't believe it couldn't happen, because that's happening right now on Dafuskie. Just wait until they put a bridge in there, another island bites the dust. So again I am not saying to control what happens like a dictator just to grant the original owners a tax incentive to stay.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by 912

So we should have two sets of standards for people. This is what you're saying.

I have an idea. How about NO?

Yes, two sets of standards based on two completely different sets of circumstances. Absolutely.

I hate this implicitly racist line of thinking and it sickens me to my stomach.

[pink caddy]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

I hate this implicitly racist line of thinking and it sickens me to my stomach.

Perhaps then you should not view his thinking as "implicitly racist"? Less stress on the stomach. Aren't we suppose to move forward with Obama's "one world" concept ie: one standard? Cuts both way right?

[SavannahLife]

have to confess I had no idea what 912 was getting at. I think I do now?? I meant using a market based approach of keeping taxes at original assessments in order to help the original African Americans that live there now which will also serve to conserve the rustic and beautiful feel of this unique island and their unique culture. If you have not been there it would be hard to understand and so if you have not been there, get there. 912 it aint' far from your area code! About an hour. If you haven't visited, jump in the car, go visit, come back, please share your thoughts. I expect your mind will be blown if you have never been there. In a good way!

I said if people want to build new homes there, this is America, it would not be democratic to stop them. Let them. But also let the original owners maintain historic property assessments unless and until they sell to a new buyer.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by pink caddy

Perhaps then you should not view his thinking as "implicitly racist"? Less stress on the stomach. Aren't we suppose to move forward with Obama's "one world" concept ie: one standard? Cuts both way right?

I'm viewing his statement for what it is; if you choose to ignore it, then that's on you. And what the heck does Obama have to do with this? Just throwing anything to the wall to see what'll stick huh?