Dear editor:

Why are our taxes so high here in our wonderful little town? I am confused about why we pay so much in property taxes.

Did you know, if you purchase a $150,000 home your (total) annual taxes are $2,767.58? Divided by 12 months that is $230.58 added monthly to principal and interest of your monthly mortgage payment on property.

Please help me understand this. Someone explain it to me. Why are taxes so high here? Hinesville doesn’t have great, beautiful parks. Hinesville doesn’t have civic centers. Hinesville doesn’t have grand schools. Look at Long County’s new schools; those schools are grand.

Hinesville doesn’t have grand hospitals. Hinesville doesn’t have museums. Hinesville doesn’t have bowling alleys or skating rinks. Activities that families can enjoy. Where does all the (taxpayer) money go?

Please don’t tell me to attend city budget meetings. We could look over and read the Hinesville city budget… that determines the millage rate. I have. But who reviews the budget and monitors that the money is being spent for what it has been budgeted? Not every penny is being spent the way it should. I feel that a lot of money is being wasted.

Now, don’t get me wrong; I love Hinesville. I grew up in Hinesville. That being said, I am a business owner here and what I pay in property taxes, well, let’s just say it’s rough paying those taxes.

Yes, you are right, we choose to have a business here. Yes, we make money here. I just want to know if taxes will continue going up and up. If so, selling homes in this area is going to get tougher and tougher. Am I wrong? Maybe…I have been wrong before.

I’m curious…why can other cities our size have a lot less taxes for individuals and business owners to pay on the properties they own? Please google the millage rates for Liberty County and the city of Hinesville and other cities, like Savannah. Find out for yourself. My comparison showed a (2017) total millage rate for Savannah at 41.804, and a total 46.116 mil rate (includes county, schools) for Hinesville. Do this, and maybe, just maybe, taxes will start to go down if more people ask “why.”

I have heard and seen for myself that in Midway, some older people had to sell their homes. This was because of property taxes and homeowners insurance that they could not afford. They are retired and on a fixed income. Sad…

A lot of people may say I have a lot of nerve writing about this. I have sold homes in this area for a long time. But, this is the way I feel.

Bert Webb

Hinesville

Editor’s note: The Courier has reached out to city officials asking for information about property taxes, to better understand the millage rate and how it relates to revenues that support public services.