Montgomery County auditor receives award for Memorial Day tornadoes information campaign

ajc.com

Credit: Chris Stewart

Credit: Chris Stewart

Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith is the recipient of the 2020 Achievement Award in the civil education and public information category for his public information campaign aimed at providing property tax relief to victims of last year’s Memorial Day tornadoes.

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The campaign ultimately provided tax relief to more than 1,200 owners of tornado-damaged property. The successful campaign reduced the taxable value of these properties by $46 million in total, easing the financial burden of the tornado victims.

“Our goal was to prevent anyone with tornado damaged property from being stuck with a full tax bill,” Keith said. “We pushed ourselves to go above and beyond to make sure property owners knew they had options.”

The community engagement campaign involved reaching property owners through a number of different methods, including digital advertising, community outreach events, news stories, mobile assistance centers and tax relief mailings.

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“I am proud of the work we did to provide tax relief to many of these victims,” said Keith. “We are honored to have our efforts recognized by National Association of counties.”

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