As the Lamar County assessor’s office continues to correct errors on people’s taxes, it is becoming more obvious people should send in property tax returns so they can be sure their taxes are correct. Data entry on revaluations is ongoing but part of Barnesville will have to be revisited after some 100 property tax returns were filed. After just 15 were checked and approved to the tune of $398,552 taken off the tax digest for 2012, some glaring errors were addressed. ’We’ve seen some errors we know we’ll have to correct,’ said chief appraiser Jeannie Haddock. Even county manager Bob Zellner’s home was found to be taxed for double the square footage he actually has ‘“ for the past four years. ’He’s entitled to a refund for the past three years and he’s aware of it,’ said chief appraiser Jeannie Haddock. ‘We’ve fixed it for 2012 though he never filed a return ‘“ and he’s just one of many.’ Zellner was not the only one found to have been overcharged. In one case, a home was lowered $99,000 in value because of a similar square footage error. It was caught because the owner’s daughter had an identical house next door with differing values. ’I wish people were more aware of their responsibility to fill out property tax returns,’ said chairman Claire White. ‘They should take the time to do it.’ Owners who filed returns will get assessment notices as each set of returns is approved. ’There’s some miscommunication,’ said appraiser Roger Hollandsworth. ’People think it’s federal taxes or they’re scared their value will go up.’
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