CAIRO — Some Grady County office employees are enjoying more space in a new location.

The county’s tax assessor and tax commissioner offices are moved to the old United National Bank building, now called the Courthouse Annex, at 114 First St. NE. Services offered there are property tax, tag/title, registrar and tax assessment.

“The bank building became available and we’d outgrown the offices,” Phyllis Gainous, tax commissioner, said. “The courthouse needed more room for court — including parking. This office and the registrar were together so it was tight. People would have to stand in line down the hallway at election time for absentee voting. Now, there’s more room for them, too. I’m real excited about it because it’s more open in space and I love the windows. It’s also convenient for taxpayers because we are close to the tax assessor’s office.”

There was $400,000 allotted in the 2008 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for the project. The county paid $275,000 for the building (the bank moved to a larger location), $30,000 for the furnishings and the rest ($95,000) was spent on a new roof.

The county borrowed money in June 2007 for the project and used bond money to pay back the loan in April.

Offices began moving, one at a time, in March and finished the first week of May.

“We began moving property tax in mid-April and then moved the tag office,” Gainous said. “It was a little more difficult because the Georgia Department of Revenue sent a crew down to get us going with some new equipment (all counties got new ones this year).”

Property and tag used to be separate, but the new offices have allowed customers to have access to both at one counter.

“We’ve got a lot more room, and I think it will be good for us to be able to accommodate our customers,” Carole Booth, clerk two, said. “Whatever business a citizen has here, we will be able to take care of it rather than having them go to different departments or back and forth.”

There is also a drive-in window and a drop box for the taxpayers’ convenience.

“We’ve had several citizens use the drive-thru and one to use the drop box,” Gainous said. “These will be great for people with young children and those who have disabilities or people who are simply in a hurry. My clerks are also being cross-trained for property and tag so they can help customers with either.”

She also said her office is only getting more space, not more employees.

Tax Assessor Susan Bennett is pleased with the move.

“We needed the room,” she explained. “So far it’s worked out real well. It’s different, but a good kind of different. There’s more space and things are set up a little better. The biggest thing for us is we had three employees in one office before and one of my employees did not have a desk. Now, everyone has their own space. Our maps, files and other items are now more accessible. Our maps are in a room to themselves with dummy terminal access. Our biggest concern in moving was being away from the clerk’s office, but I don’t think we’ll have problems. We gave her data printouts (of standard information) to keep over there in case there is a question so people won’t have to make trips across the street. We’ve tried to make the transition as easy as possible.”

Appraiser Susan White is glad to have her own desk.