Why I Contribute My Salary to the Coalition of Powhatan Churches (COPC)

I am frequently asked why I give my County salary to COPC.

It started on a cold December night several years ago when I was Chairman of the Board of Equalization (BOE). The BOE is a group of citizens appointed by the Board of Supervisors to hear appeals of real estate assessments.

One evening an elderly lady came in for her appointment. She looked from one of us on the Board to the next, obviously very nervous.

Finally, she started to speak. “Lady and gentlemen, I’ve been a widow now for 20 years. I still live in the house my husband and I built nearly 50 years ago. We farmed that land for 32 years. I’ve sold most of the land off to pay the bills over the years; I’ve got about five acres left.”

“I have three bills here: my heating bill to fill the oil tank for the winter, a bill for ongoing dialysis not covered by insurance, and the assessment on my home.”

With that, she pushed the three bills across the table at me and said, looking me straight in the eyes: “Mr. Tucker, I can pay two of these, I think. Please tell me which two.”

We looked at her case; we reviewed tax relief for the elderly. We went to see the house to see if there was depreciation we could justify. We compared her assessment—land, home, remaining (unused) farm outbuildings—to similar properties nearby.

The BOE cannot change an assessment unless there’s a concrete reason. We couldn’t find one. We all—all five of us on the Board—were very depressed that night.

There are good people among us who, through no fault of their own (like just getting older, or being disabled by an accident or arthritis), are faced with this kind of threat. To lose your home or even to deal with the anxiety of the threat? I cannot even imagine.

When I told this story once to a well-respected Powhatan resident, I was stunned by his reaction: “If she can’t pay her taxes, she belongs in a home.”

Put aside who would pay the $3000-4000 per month if that were to happen. (The answer is: the taxpayer.) The callousness of that comment floored me.

She was a mother and grandmother. She was a retired teacher. She had worked hard her whole life. Her taxes all those years built our schools. And with a flip of his hand, this man was throwing her on the dust heap.

I vowed to do something. I talked with the President of COPC and asked if they would oversee the disbursement of my salary to those elderly and disabled threatened with eviction from their homes. COPC, which does so much for this community, agreed to undertake the tough decision making and record-keeping.

For four years, COPC has sent me quarterly reports, with no names, describing the help they’ve been able to give. Those reports I cherish as much as any piece of mail I’ve ever received.