Settle announces bid to seek 8th term as tax commissioner

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Baldwin County Tax Commissioner Cathy Settle has announced that she will seek an eighth term as tax commissioner. 

Settle has served as tax commissioner for Baldwin County since July 1995. She is the seventh longest-serving tax commissioner in Georgia. 

“If you enjoy what you are doing, then why leave? I love serving our citizens and I consider my staff part of my family, so I would like to continue serving,” she said. 

Settle is also the second longest-serving elected official in Baldwin County and the long-serving elected female in the county. 

Settle serves on the executive board of the Georgia Association of Tax Officials and has been district leader of Baldwin and the 12 surrounding counties in central Georgia for the last 10 years. 

Settle said that although taxes are an unpopular subject, she takes pride in the office she holds. She said  she hopes that her office does the job of collecting taxes fairly and efficiently. 

“The office of tax commissioner is no small job. Our office collects over $38 million each year and disburses that revenue out timely to the taxing authorities. The taxing authorities depend on this revenue to meet their budgetary requirements. Our offices also process about 50,000 motor vehicle tag renewals each year,” Settle said. 

Settle also said that her office has faced the same challenges as many other offices and business with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. But, she said that they work their way through the issues and they have managed to keep the doors open to serve residents as best as they can.