By Carol McIntire
Editor
May 26, 2009
Carroll County Commissioner President Larry Garner is not happy with the appraisals coming out of the Brown Twp. Trustees mitigation project and is making it known.
Garner summoned trustees and grant writing representatives to last Thursday’s meeting.
Trustee Rod Wise and grant writers and administrators Vera Gatschall and Didi Everhart arrived with notebooks in hand. For well over three quarters of an hour, the three listened as Garner drilled them on the excessive appraisals and sale prices given to some residents in the Malwayne Acres area.
Immediately after Gatschall said the first grant, $225,000 from the state, would be completed by the end of next month, Garner began speaking.
“Who is doing your appraisals?” Garner asked. “You have a problem with the purchase prices of those homes. You just closed on a 1978 mobile home carrying a $23,800 market value appraisal by the county auditor for $63,000. The market doesn’t justify that kind of price.”
Gatschall looked in her notes and provided Garner with the name of the trustees’ appraiser, Tony Moncman. “He is an independent appraiser certified in flood mitigation,” she explained. “We have no control over the appraisals. They are made and then go to the state for final approval. We don’t understand appraisals and know nothing about them. We just do what we are told.”
“I’m not blaming you, but someone is wrong here,” Garner stated. “There is no way on God’s green earth you could get that kind of money in an arm length’s sale. I want justification on these. That’s how the banks got into the mess they are in - appraising homes for more than they are worth.”
Gatschall told Garner the property in question had a two-car garage built on it. “Do you know how many lots were with it?” she asked Garner.
“No,” he replied, “but another thing that upsets me is that another homeowner just around the corner from the one who received $63,000 with a mobile home 17 years newer than that one and two car garage on it was appraised at $37,600 by your appraiser. How can that be?”
Garner said his concern is for the taxpayers, whose money is being used to purchase the properties, and for the project itself.
“If someone doesn’t question this, you’re never going to have enough money to get this project done. How many homes have you purchased?”
Gatschall said Phase I of the grant (the $255,000) was used to purchase three homes, demolish them, cap sewers and turn the lots into green space. She said eight homes are being purchased to date in Phase 2.
Garner looked straight at Wise and said, “You’ve got to question this. If you keep paying twice what something is worth in the real world, you are never going to make it.
“I’ll help you get to the bottom of this.”
The three Brown Twp. representatives told Garner they have questioned the appraisals themselves, but they are only doing what they are told to do. “We get the appraisals, provide it to the homeowners, who have the right to get their own appraisal, if they want to, send it to the state and if the state approves it, we have to pay that amount,” Gatschall said.
“We have no knowledge in appraisals. We have to use a certified flood mitigation appraisals and the appraisals are before the flood occurred, which was back in 2003.”
Gatschall obtained Garner’s phone number and said she would have the state appraiser contact him.
In other business, commissioners:
-QUESTIIONED Ralph Castellucci about a bill received by a Lake Mohawk resident for sewer repair. Castellucci said he spoke with the woman and now understands the charges were fair.
-SIGNED a two-year agreement with the Ohio Department of Youth Services on behalf of Carroll County Juvenile Court.
-RECEIVED an update on the Summer Youth Employment Program from Deb Knight and Bill Offenberger of the Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS). The program, which is funded by federal stimulus dollars, is for ages 14 through 24 this year. Offenberger said local employers were contacted and about 35 have agreed to participate and offer positions to about 70 youth. He said 260 applications were received. Participants must meet income guidelines (100 percent of the federal poverty level) and DJFS officials are busy determining eligibility of the applicants. Youth who will be offered the 10-week summer jobs will be notified prior to June 1.
-SIGNED the DJFS subgrant agreement at the request of Director Kate Offenberger, who noted a signature is required yearly.
-SIGNED a grant agreement for Karin Taff, director of the Victim Assistance program. Taff said she has been given approval to apply for federal stimulus funds that will allow her to bring the employee who was laid off last year back on staff. The $2,500 match for the approximately $9,000 grant will be provided from court costs.
-SCHEDULED a public hearing June 11 at 10:30 a.m. for the Community Development Block Grant 09 projects.
-AGREED to hire McGuire and Associates to complete the county’s cost allocation plan after hearing presentations from representatives from McGuire and Associated and Maximus. |
