Clayton board goes after tax commissioner

By Ralph Ellis

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Clayton County Commission took steps Wednesday night to have tax commissioner Terry Baskin removed from office, saying he hadn’t turned over weekly tax receipts to the county finance office since June 11.

The commission asked Gov. Sonny Perdue to find out why Baskin hasn’t made the payments and why he shouldn’t be removed from office. Baskin is a constitutional officer elected by the voters, so he’s not under direct supervision of the county commission.

Baskin attended the commission meeting in Jonesboro, but said he didn’t want to comment until he had read the resolution and the letter that will be sent to Perdue by 4 p.m. Thursday.

This is the latest round in an ongoing conflict between Baskin and the commission. On July 9, county police charged Baskin with obstruction when he refused to turn over his county-owned take-home car.

Baskin placed himself between the car and a wrecker service and had to be detained for his own protection, police said. The commission had approved a resolution days earlier that called for the use of take-home cars to be investigated as a cost-cutting measure. Since the resolution didn’t apply to law enforcement or the commission chairman, only Baskin was affected.

Commission board vice-chairman Wole Ralph said Baskin was supposed to turn in tax receipts and reports weekly to the county finance office. The money comes from property taxes and vehicle registrations and pays for county operations.

“He has not turned over taxes since June 11,” Ralph said. "Rather than get in dire straits, we're taking action now."

Ralph said he didn’t know how much money was involved, noting the amount can vary widely from week to week.

The letter going to Perdue noted that Baskin had made required tax payments to the state, “so it is clear he’s aware of his obligations.”

The Wednesday night vote was 3-1, with chairman Eldrin Bell voting no and commissioner Michael Edmondson absent. Ralph, Sonna Singleton and Gail Hambrick voted yes.

Bell said he opposed the resolution because he thought the conflict could be resolved.

“I’m surprised as you and the other citizens it’s not been worked out,” Bell said.