Smith best choice for superintendent
Rick Smith is the most qualified person to be the next superintendent of Hamilton County schools.
Let's hope the school board members will put aside their "go out of town bias" and appoint Rick Smith.
Taxpayers deserve a local person. Some choices in recent years show that there is nothing mystical about "going out of town."
TERRELL FUGATE
Hixson
Property values can be appealed
Hamilton County property owners who don't agree with Tax Assessor Bill Bennett's current opinion of value and assessment on their property can appeal to the Hamilton County Board of Equalization in June.
You must call the tax assessor's office for an appeal form, and it must be returned to the tax assessor's office on or before June 30.
During the most recent reappraisal, Bennett raised values in Hamilton County by 15-30 percent while across the country values were being reduced by 15-30 percent.
After the last reappraisal in 2009, it was reported that 21,997 property owners appealed their reappraised values to the tax assessor's office, and he made changes to 16,314. If you didn't appeal, this may be the time for you to consider looking at sales around your neighborhood and maybe having your tax liability reduced.
I just read that Bennett had a commercial building valued at $19.8 million and it recently sold for $6.15 million. That is a reduction in value of 69 percent. After knowing this, you might want to have your property value reviewed.
BOBBY RUNYAN
Ooltewah
Source mistaken on jobs creation
In an April 2 story in the Times Free Press, I mistakenly told your reporter Pam Sohn that companies typically overstate the potential for job creation at facilities they propose. I was responding to her request for comment on a report I had not read and clearly should not have speculated about its findings.
I have no knowledge of any specific case where companies or investors deliberately exaggerate the jobs that are obviously created by new projects and capital investment and regret the implication my comments created that I had such knowledge.
LUKE POPOVICH
National Mining Association
Washington, D.C.