How are his hands tied when he has the ability to padlock doors and sell property. Has he even collected a dollar of delinquent tax since he became clerk?

It's clear he doesn't want to try and collect it.

This guy has been in this position since 2008. Has he made an effort to collect ANY of these taxes? I'm just flabbergasted at his comments.

Mr. Arnett, you have options and if you are incapable of doing your job, then resign, because you are definitely not helping our county and you are cheating the people whom you represent! How in anyone's book is this okay?

Does goat humper have a connection to the hotel owners that collect these taxes and fail to render them to the county? Is the collection of a tax when there is no intention to pay it some sort of fraud that could be prosecuted? Has this guy done anything while in office other than post racist things on facebook and complain that his office isn't good enough? Will the KNS investigate any of this?

I hope a friend or cowoworker takes the time to read that article aloud to Mr. Arnett today.

Surely if he were to actually hear what he had to say, he would realize how absolutely asinine he sounds.

"I can't do it, my hands are tied!!!"

"It's too hard to do!!"

"Actually, we only had to face the situation once."

"And in that instance, all it really took was a threat."

Way to plead your case Foster!

Maybe if someone whispered into Foster's ear that some of them hotel owners are brown people and might even be goat humpin' mooslims, he would Man Up and grow a pair and act like a Real American (like Gunny!) and storm in and DEMAND those taxes. It don't even matter if they ARE goat humpin' mooslims, 'cause worrying about that is just sissy political correctness. Foster said he's SICK TO DEATH of it, and he's ready to WAKE UP and STAND UP before it's too late! He could just smash in there with an axe, and make sure there's no goat humpin' going on, and STAND UP and stop us from loosing our beloved America!

Or maybe his hands are tied and he's only a tough guy when he thinks nobody's paying attention.

affected poor Foster so bad, he'll he can't even do his job, having a hard time figuring out what his job really is.

Going to be even harder to persuade a judge (or maybe a jury) that he's got a problem caused by mold. We all know he has a problem, however, it's the space and lack of matter between his ears that are the bulk of the problem right now.

Poster boy for bad government in Knox County - Foster Arnett.

Maybe we need to ask what Mr. Arnett gets for not collecting those taxes.

He can take the time and effort to sue the county (questionable legality at best), but he can't collect the taxes?

Has he been working for the county, OR the hotels/motels that loath to pay the tax?

And the story gets weirder and weirder...

(link...)

The County Clerk tried to suppress portions of the audit then claimed he didn't?

My friend is a manager at the Clerk's Office and says Arnett has known about hotel/motel tax delinquencies for years.. since before he was re-elected in 2014. So what exactly does this guy do all day?

"Previously he had staff to look after the hotel/motel tax collections, but Arnett said he lost them in a staff reduction he made after taking office. He also blamed the uncollected funds on no prior audits on the money."

So there we have it folks, a simple explanation. Foster can't collect the taxes because he doesn't have the staff - he let them all go years ago. See there, it's not his fault. How dare we get all in his grill, he was reducin' the gubmit jus like any good Tea Party animal would. Gee whiz, how can y'all be so stupid!

Government is inherently bad (as he's been determined to prove), so he liberated his workers so they could participate in the wonderful "free market." One that finds it easier for "job creators" to steal from law-abiding taxpayers.

Arnett is lying. An Administrative Assistant at the Cletk's office, Will, found and told Arnett about the delinquencies years ago. Arnett needs to learn to take accountability for his actions, or in this case, lack thereof. Pathetic.

Can county office holders be recalled? If so, I can think of a perfect candidate.

Employee Job Salary
ARNETT, FOSTER COUNTY CLERK $117,452.92

(link...)

His stubbornness on this is curious. His excuses don't make sense. How many people does it take to send a threatening letter? How many people does it take to get a court order for a lien? I'm guessing the county law director could help with that, no?

Anyway, the message he's sending to area hotels is that the tax is just a suggestion, they don't have to pay it, and his office won't enforce collection.

If we can't see the tax nonpayers, I'd at least like to see Arnett's campaign donors. Do they correlate?

Donila: Commissioners, public: Some of Clerk's claims just not adding up