Property tax exemptions are a well-needed staple of our local economy that provide relief to the elderly, surviving spouses, disabled veterans, and many others. However, CCG’s Chief Appraiser, Suzanne Widenhouse, let her true feelings slip during a heated moment when placed on the spot at the June 27 council meeting. Explore the full story to watch your Chief Assessor say just about the one thing a tax assessor shouldn’t say on camera.

For the past few weeks, Columbus property owners have explained to city officials how increasing property taxes would lead to increased poverty, crime, and blight. Now, in a rare and welcomed mutual understanding, city councilors unanimously voted to lower the property tax rate. Explore the full story to see how tactful civic engagement just moved our government to voluntarily keep $7 million in the hands of taxpayers.

Georgia regulations require taxable property to be assessed using current market conditions for the year it is being taxed. However, CCG’s Chief Appraiser, Suzanne Widenhouse, openly admitted to using three year old market data for the current tax year. Explore the full story to see how your property tax assessments have been rigged using data from the peak of the pandemic so that the city manager can use the inflated value to put more of your money into his budget.

A few weeks ago, we revealed that the local United Way is forcing Columbus nonprofits to ask local kids about their sexuality or lose their funding. Now, leaked documents including funding contracts obtained by the Muckraker undeniably prove it. Explore the full story to see the documents for yourself, along with how the United Way knowingly lied to City Councilors’ faces in an effort to cover it up.

From the city proposing a budget with a $14 million deficit, to the United Way still not being held accountable for extorting the sexual data of local children from area nonprofits, to the city attorney openly stating he wants to hide council agendas from the public so they ‘won’t know what‘s on it,’ here’s all the muck that’s fit to print from the Columbus, Georgia area, along with a look at what to expect in the week ahead.

During the city council meeting on June 20, councilors spent nearly two hours debating the proposed property tax increase and how it affects the city’s budgetary spending. However, in literally the same meeting, CCG announced the purchase of a brand new 2024 GMC truck that cost taxpayers over $56k. Explore the full story to see how your city government is running a $14 million deficit while spending your money on brand new toys instead of more sensible purchases.

In possibly the most epic reveal of Columbus’ deep state bureaucracy in history, City Attorney Clifton Fay openly said he wants to hide the city council’s meeting agenda from the public so we ‘won’t know what‘s on it.’ To make matters worse, Fay’s own stated intent was to prevent the public from contacting elected officials with their concerns. Explore the full story to see how Clifton Fay doesn’t want peasant plebes like you and us to question our city’s government, despite state laws specifically preventing Fay’s censored intent.

The city’s proposed property tax rate was set to bring in an additional $10 million from the pockets of residents while the city preps to adopt an unbalanced budget with a $14 million deficit. In a rare display of diligence and responsibility, city councilors came together to delay their votes on the millage rate and the city’s unbalanced budget. Explore the full story to see how councilors moved in unison to push the vote forward instead of merely blowing with the wind.

The United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley is forcing local organizations to either give them data on the sexuality of children they serve or lose their funding. The data collection was not part of their original funding agreements. Many large local non-profits have since voiced serious legal and moral concerns. Explore the full story for the insane details of how the United Way now demands the sexual data on local children or they will pull their funding.

It’s no secret that the Columbus Consolidated Government has severe staffing shortages. However, City Manager Isaiah Hugley’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year shows more than a $16 million increase in personnel expenses compared to the year before. Explore the full story to see the side-by-side comparison of how Hugley’s unbalanced budget managed to bloat the city’s payroll expenses to 57% of the city’s entire overall budget.

City officials only expect an income of $322 million for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. However, their budget for FY2024 has continued to expand well beyond that projected income and now sits at a bloated $336 million. Explore the full story to see how city officials are now planning to draw over $14 million from the city’s reserve funds to make up the difference, all while raising an additional $10 million off the backs of taxpayers.

From how to appeal your property valuation and fight back against the city’s proposed property tax increase, to how the United Way is forcing local non-profits to ask children about their sexuality or lose their funding, to a local teacher being named the Runner Up for Georgia Teacher of the Year, here’s all the muck that’s fit to print from the Columbus, Georgia area, along with a look at what to expect in the week ahead.

When councilors take office, they swear an oath to uphold our City Charter, granting them more power and responsibility than any other local elected official. However, it seems councilors may need a gentle reminder of what that oath empowers them with and requires of them. Explore the full story to see the full oath sworn by our city councilors, along with what its wording actually means.

Many local landlords are speaking up against the proposed property tax increases in Muscogee County in hopes of protecting their tenants from rent increases. Despite CCG’s claims of wanting to reduce poverty, residents correctly explained how raising property taxes not only perpetuates poverty, but is already causing developers to leave the city altogether. Explore the full story to see what several owners and tenants had to say to CCG in their own words.

In May of last year, local educator Vanessa Ellis was recognized for her exceptional teaching abilities as the Muscogee County Teacher of the Year. Now, as her dedication to students continues to exceed the standard, Ellis has been named as the Runner Up for the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Explore the full story to see how you can help support outstanding teachers like Vanessa Ellis as they continue to develop the bright future of our city.

The United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley is forcing local organizations to either give them data on the sexuality of children they serve or lose their funding. The data collection was not part of their original funding agreements. Many large local non-profits have since voiced serious legal and moral concerns. Explore the full story for the insane details of how the United Way now demands the sexual data on local children or they will pull their funding.

It doesn’t take an MBA to know that trying to build an economy on ‘tourism’ without a product differentiator in a city with rampant poverty and homicide is a terrible idea. As a result, the public mocks CCG’s disingenuous and tone-deaf messaging that puts a crap product in fake shiny packaging. Explore the full story to see a hilarious video that perfectly depicts CCG’s incompetent stupidity.

After Columbus property owners were mailed their annual property tax assessment notices on May 30, many were shocked by the huge increase in the taxes they might now have to pay. However, even Chief Assessor Suzanne Widenhouse says the county knows they make mistakes when assessing property values. Explore the full story to see how you can potentially save thousands on your tax bill.

From the city manager sneaking in a parking fee for a political event in a way that broke the Georgia Open Meetings Act, to more than six thousand pounds of garbage being left to accrue in city parks, to the city having the option to lower property taxes but proposing to tax you even more instead, here’s all the muck that’s fit to print from the Columbus, Georgia area, along with a look at what to expect in the week ahead.

As we discussed yesterday, CCG now has the option to lower the property tax rate, but instead is hoping to keep it just as high as ever to generate millions more in revenue from its citizens. In this detailed follow-up, we’ll be taking a deep dive into what the tax increase actually is. Explore the full story to see the details as we break down the illogical and unnecessary tax increase on everything from how property taxes are calculated to how to appeal the city’s greed.

City officials are required by law to calculate a rollback property tax rate that would produce the same revenue as the year before, but can also propose to tax residents at an even higher rate. Even though CCG now has the option to lower the property tax rate, it’s hoping to keep it just as high as ever to generate millions more in revenue from its citizens. Explore the full story for details on the three public hearings you can attend so your voice can be heard as a citizen.

For over a decade, Columbus has insisted that ‘community policing’ and other soft-on-crime policies are going to eradicate crime from our city. None of them have worked, and for obvious reasons. Despite the increasing rates of violent crime, the city is now doubling-down with even more of the same. Explore the full story for a comedic glimpse at the utterly ridiculous nature of CCG’s insanity.

Have you ever wanted to contact a local elected official about a topic that matters to you, but you didn’t know which of the ten city councilors to call? As it turns out, many people don’t know what district they live in. Explore the full story for a complete break-down of each city district using the city’s current maps, along with a list of contact information for your city councilors.

While the efforts of caring volunteers are absolutely commendable, the City of Columbus still allowed six thousand pounds of garbage to build up at just two of the city’s public spaces without intervention. Despite the claim of ‘tourism’ saving the city, CCG quite clearly cannot even police its own garbage without having to rely on the occasional generosity of volunteers. Explore the full story to see how the failure of such a basic civic necessity perfectly represents CCG.

The now-canceled parking fee for the upcoming GOP Convention featuring President Donald J. Trump wasn’t even listed on the city’s agenda for the May 30 council meeting. Instead, city manager Isaiah Hugley chose to blindside council with no advance notice, hoping they would vote for the parking fee under the guise of ‘public safety.’ Explore the full story to see how Hugley tried to alter our local laws for his own political purposes without having a public hearing.

Back in 2015, CCG allowed residents to register golf carts and drive them on certain streets. Eight years later, only 24 people have done so; almost all are from the Historic District. Now, the city is wasting countless time and resources so 24 people can drive their golf carts across Veterans Parkway. Explore the full story to see the laughable arguments officials made for the gain of a privileged few as the rest of the city crumbles around them in a murderous bloodbath.

On May 30, City Council voted to enforce a $10 parking fee for the upcoming GOP Convention featuring President Donald J. Trump. However, after the publication of our original article, City Council has changed their minds. The city has since canceled the parking fee after ‘reconsidering.’ Explore the full story to see how one city councilor described the situation in an email.

At the behest of city manager Isaiah Hugley, CCG recently announced they will be charging a $10 parking fee in all city lots for the upcoming GOP Convention featuring President Donald J. Trump. However, the city did not charge parking fees for the democrat convention held here last year. Explore the full story to see yet another example of how CCG openly discriminates against conservative politics.

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, the city announced a plan to ‘prevent crime’ through new program offerings at recreation centers. However, that plan was immediately disproven by a shootout at the Shirley Winston Rec Center just hours after the announcement. Explore the full story to see how new programs are just something for criminals to destroy until they are physically removed from society.

Each year, city departments can request additions to their budgets. This year, those additions total more than $1.5 million geared toward crime reduction and our justice system, with almost all of it coming from the city’s reserve funds. Explore the full story to see the complete itemized list of approved budget additions for yourself.