Stand4Land Taxpayer Empowerment Workshop

Want to learn about a free emergency home repair program and free budgeting classes? What about how to reduce or eliminate your property taxes, and ways to use your property to generate money? Or how to appeal an increase in your property taxes after the 2023 property value reassessment in Beaufort County?

Then attend the 2022 PAFEN STAND4LAND TAXPAYER EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP on Oct. 29th.

Created in 2017 by the Pan-African Family Empowerment & Land Preservation Network to prevent Gullah Geechee and other South Carolina property owners avoid losing their property due to delinquent tax sales, family land disputes, and other issues, the STAND4LAND TAXPAYER EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP is a free, public educational event that brings together a wide-ranging group of experts to educate the public, including the Beaufort County Assessor, the Beaufort County Auditor, the Beaufort County Treasurer, the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation, the SC Forestry Commission, the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, SC Legal Services, SCORE, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others.

The 2022 STAND4LAND workshop is being co-sponsored by PAFEN, and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce. It’ll be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 29th, at the BCBCC Headquarters, 711 Bladen St., in Beaufort, SC.

To accommodate those unable to attend the event is person, plans are underway to broadcast it on the Facebook Pages of both PAFEN and the BCBCC.

“We’re delighted to have this opportunity to once again educate and update the public about property tax issues that are critically important to being able to sustain long-term ownership of their ancestral homes and land, businesses, and churches,” says Theresa White, Founder and CEO of PAFEN.

“We are honored to partner with the Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce to resume our STAND4LAND TAXPAYER EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP after a two-year break due to health concerns caused by COVID-19,” White noted.

Previous co-sponsors of the workshop are St. John’s Lutheran Church, the Native Island Business & Community Affairs Association, and the Hilton Head Island Chapter of the National Action Network.

Many who own property in Beaufort County will be especially interested to hear the much-anticipated 30-minute presentation by Beaufort County Assessor Ebony Sanders, who’ll be discussing the countywide reassessment of property that will likely result in adjustments (up or down) of property tax bills in 2023. That reassessment of property values is held every five years and was last conducted in 2018.

The BCBCC has partnered with PAFEN to provide free budgeting and credit repair classes to Gullah Geechee families since 2016, and it has sent presenters to every STAND4LAND TAXPAYER EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOP since 2017.

BCBCC President Larry Holman sees co-sponsoring the 2022 workshop to better inform the public about both the numerous free resources and services available through the BCBCC, and its loyal support of Gullah Geechee land retention efforts. An emerging regional powerhouse, the BCBCC offers a great portfolio of services in Beaufort County, Jasper County, Colleton County, Allendale County, and others.

“We’re definitely committed to helping to save Gullah Geechee property,” says Holman, noting that BCBCC’s free services are open to the general public.

“We’re welcoming the local community to come into our headquarters to see what we have to offer, including our free financial literacy classes, our First Time Homebuyers Program, our Small Business Administration loans, our emergency home repair program, and our plans to offer up to $2,500 in small personal loans to combat the financial burden of dealing with predatory lenders, who can charge up to 500% interest or more,” Holman explained.

Workshop attendees will receive free note taking materials, and an onsite lunch at no cost.

For more information, or to make a reservation, call PAFEN at 843-812-3558.

You can learn more about the Pan African Family Empowerment Network here.