The Hamilton County Assessor of Property race between Democrat Mark Siedlecki and Republican Marty Haynes has been dominated by one issue: a senior property tax freeze that the county commission has yet to adopt since the Tenneessee General Assembly gave counties and municipalities the option in 2007.
If Hamilton County had adopted the program, seniors making less than $38,720 a year could qualify.
Although the assessor’s office has no authority to implement such a program, Siedlecki spent much of his allotted time discussing the matter during a recent Lookout Valley Neighborhood Association candidate forum that included Haynes, a county commissioner.
“If one senior citizen loses their home because they can’t pay their taxes, we are not doing our job as citizens of Hamilton County to take care of these people,” Siedlecki said.
Haynes countered that all county residents – not just seniors – have benefited from a freeze on property tax rates since 2007.