Village POA reacts

A statement issued Friday by the POA said Tellico Village officials were “surprised” to learn of the county’s legislative actions because “the association has been offering for over a year to take back any Tellico Village lots that the county might end up with as a result of the delinquent tax sale.” Despite this offering, the statement says the county has not responded to the POA’s proposed agreement to take back the lots.
 

Per the release, the POA offered the county a settlement in January 2015 to accept any delinquent lots that initially revert back to the county.
 

“However, rather than responding, Loudon County has now elected to support the current legislation,” the release said.
 

The release notes the POA is “concerned” that current legislation doesn’t address the future disposition of tax sale properties, which could be considered “contrary to the long-term financial interests of both the county and the association.”
 

“However, the proposed legislation completely fails to include a mechanism to get these lots back into the hands of third-parties that would pay both taxes and assessments in the future,” the release continues. “These hundreds of Tellico Village lots would ultimately be rendered unmarketable because the tax liens on the property would continue to increase exponentially with no end in sight. This short-sighted process could ultimately deprive both Loudon County and the association of millions of dollars of tax and assessment revenue over the next decade.”
 

John Cherry, POA public relations manager, said Village property owners provide about $7.4 million in annual taxes in the county. Dues from about 405 lots would amount to $571,536 based off the POA’s current assessment fee of $117.60.
 

According to the release, the POA thinks a “minor clarification” is needed in order to explain what happens to a title and tax liens on a property should the county withdraw its bid on a property in a tax sale.
 

“The association has been trying to work through the legislative process to include this minor clarification to the legislation in order to preserve the marketability of these lots in the future,” according to the release. “Alternatively, the association remains committed to its prior offer to Loudon County to assume responsibility for these Tellico Village lots after the tax sale, which would make the new legislation unnecessary.”

I honestly don't know how people can just lie and not expect to be called on it.

The POA has made no offers to settle this matter at all. Quite to the contrary. The only time they made any offer to settle this was back in 2014 when the agreed to take back the worthless lots if the county agreed to pay off the debt on the Tellico Village library to the tune of 1.4 million dollars and make an unspecified contribution to the POA marketing department. And on top of that, they asked that what ever settlement was reached, the terms would be kept confidential.

The county flatly turned this down. The POA's next move was to take the county to court not once but twice in an attempt to force the county to potentially take possession of those lots. They lost in both attempts.

In reality, the POA could, with a signature, waive the POA fees if the county ended up with the properties and the county could give the properties back to the POA and they could then try to sell them. Unfortunately, Mr. Winston Blazer, Tellico Village general manager and the POA board have decided to use the situation, that some might call extortion, to squeeze county tax payers for millions of dollars to prop up the POA.

As the News Herald editorial suggested, why wouldn't the POA representatives sit down with the commission and come to terms with the situation?

I would welcome that meeting.