In response to Clayton Tolbert’s continuing accusations concerning the school board conveying an acre of land to me, Shirley Washington, School Board member, please read below the findings showing that in fact no money ever changed hands. In fact, the trustees of this acre of land donated the land to the Jefferson County School District in order for a school to be built. On the deed it says “in order for the school to be built for colored children”
Below is a letter from Angela Gray, Jefferson County Tax Collector, explaining the transfer of the said property:
Dear Board Member Washington,
Per your request, I am responding to a series of questions regarding the historical transfer of property identified as a 1-acre Parcel ID # 26-1N-4E-0000-0470-0000 located on Hicks Road in the Boland Community.
Question: On February 8, 2010, when the School Board transferred the property to Shirley Washington, Calvin Hall and Doris Scott, as Trustees of the “Boland” Colored School, was there money exchanged?
Answer: No, according to the deed, the minimum Doc Stamp amount was paid to the Clerk’s Office and the deed language states the consideration of $10.00 (see attachment “A” Deed ORB 750 P346)
Question: Why does your website state $200.00?
Answer: Our website shows as the “sales price” the calculation of the amount paid based on the doc stamps recorded. The Doc Stamps recorded for this property by your attorney was $1.40 which calculates to a price of $200.00
In the Real Estate world, most everyone understands that if a sale price is listed as $100.00 or $200.00, it implies that there was not any money exchanged.
Question: Did anyone meet with you or your staff to inquire about these specific deeds and the amount of money exchanged for the property?
Answer: Not that I am aware of at this time.
Question: Why would someone state or represent that this property was sold for $200.00 if they did not speak with you personally?
Answer: I do not know. If asked, I or my staff would explain the minimum doc stamp requirement and how they do not necessarily represent a sale price of the property.
The deed recorded at the Clerk of Court’s office is the official document that gives information about a transfer of property, which we provide a link to on our website (see attachment “C”).
Our website provides a summary of the information on the deed that we use for assessment purposes.
It is possible that someone saw this on our website, but that information has the following disclaimer: (DISCLAIMER: This information was derived from data which was compiled by the Jefferson County Property Appraiser Office solely for the governmental purpose of property assessment. This information should not be relied upon by anyone as a determination of the ownership of property or market value. No warranties, expressed or implied, are provided for the accuracy of the data herein, its use, or its interpretation. Although it is periodically updated, this information may not reflect the data currently on file in the Property Appraiser's office. The assessed values are NOT certified values and therefore are subject to change before being finalized for ad valorem assessment purposes. Information on this website is for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. This information is a work in progress and is compiled and used for ASSESSMENT PURPOSES ONLY and the duties within the Property Appraisers Office. The information contained herein is subject to change at any time. This includes, but is not limited to: parcel numbers, addresses, use codes, descriptions, etc... NEVER USE THIS INFORMATION IN ANY OFFICIAL CAPACITY!)
Question: On April 23, 2018, when the Co-Trustees of the “Boland” Colored School transferred the property to the Trustees of the Boland Community Center, was there money exchanged?
Answer: No, according to the deed, the minimum Doc Stamp amount was paid to the Clerk’s Office and the deed language states the consideration of $10.00 (see attachment “B” Deed ORB 753 P501)
Question: Why does your website state $100.00?
Answer: Our website shows as the “sales price” the calculation of the amount paid based on the doc stamps recorded. The Doc Stamps recorded for this property by your attorney was $0.70 which calculates to a price of $100.00
Again, like mentioned earlier, In the Real Estate world, most everyone understands that if a sale price is listed as $100.00 or $200.00, it implies that there was not any money exchanged.
Question: On February 19, 1938, when the Trustees of “Bolton” Colored School transferred the property to The Board of Public Instruction for Jefferson County, was there money exchanged?
Answer: No, according to the deed, the minimum doc stamp of $0.10 was attached and cancelled and the deed language states the consideration of $10.00 (see attachment “D” Deed Book YY Page 156)
This goes to show and prove that I do not, nor have I, ever owned the above-mentioned property but it was owned by the Jefferson County School District. It has now been deeded back to the trustees of the Boland Community (Shirley Washington, Doris Scott, Calvin Hall and William Hicks).
Sincerely,
Shirley Washington