Elaine Garrett is the county’s new tax appraiser

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DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Dawson County did not have to look long, or far, to find a highly qualified replacement for former Tax Assessor Kurt Tangel, who resigned shortly after the Board of Commissioners denied a request for a pay raise last month.

His replacement is Elaine Garrett, who has worked in the Tax Assessor’s Office as Appeals Coordinator and Appraiser III since 2013. Garrett is a 24-year employee of Dawson County.

“I look forward to serving the people of Dawson County and working with the people here in the office,” Garrett said Wednesday. “I am very confident I can handle the position with the support of all our employees.”

Garrett earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from Brenau University. She started working for Dawson County as deputy clerk of court in 1994. She moved from there to become a legal assistant and office manager in the District Attorney’s Office in 1998 then was promoted to chief deputy clerk of court. She is certified as an Appraiser III by the Georgia Department of Revenue.

“I think she will be great,” said District 1 Commissioner Sharon Fausett. “She is a very hard worker, very intelligent and a take charge kind of person. That office will be in excellent hands.”

Tangel submitted his resignation May 7, four days after Dawson County Board of Assessors Chairman Sam Guthrie went before the Board of Commissioners to request a 2 percent merit increase and 12 percent salary adjustment for Tangel whose base salary was $68,000. The request was unanimously voted down.

In voting against the salary adjustment, District 2 Commissioner Chris Gaines said, the county paid a lot of money for a salary study last year, and he felt it should be followed.

“We do have phenomenal employees throughout the whole organization and asking for different monies for this person or that person is asking us to step outside of the boundaries and the guidelines that were given to us by this organization that we paid to do a salary study,” Gaines explained.

 

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