State: tax rates in new cities can’t be capped

Georgia General Assembly legislative counsel Jeff Lanier says that property tax millage rates cannot be capped when new cities such as Brookhaven and Tucker are created. City officials retain the authority to increase tax rates even if a cap was written into the legislation or charter that created them. This news comes from the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Cities have the power to raise property taxes and expand services, even when their charters attempt to impose limitations, according to legal opinions prepared for Georgia senators.

The opinions, cited in this week’s final report of a Senate task force on cityhood, said the Georgia Constitution gives city councils control over local taxes and service levels. Referendums seeking voter approval aren’t required before city councils take action, the opinions say.

Cities can use their “home rule” authority to remove millage rate caps, according to a legal opinion by Deputy Legislative Counsel Jeff Lanier. Millage caps were included in the legislation that created the cities of Brookhaven, Tucker and others... 

This legal opinion may put cold water on cityhood efforts because supporters can no longer guarantee a maximum tax rate.

Georgia cities with tax websites

Many counties in Georgia collect property taxes on behalf of the cities in their boundaries. Some cities, such as Decatur, collect their own property taxes. Of the cities in Georgia that collect their own property taxes, I'm not sure how many have tax records online, but I've only been able to find six so far. Please let me know if you're aware of other Georgia cities that have their own property taxes online.

• Decatur
• Marietta
• Milton
• Roswell
• Savannah
• Woodstock

New video made about property taxes in Georgia

The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia has produced a video entitled "Facts About Your Property Tax - An Investment in Your Community."

The video describes how local government services in Georgia are funded, the services that are typically provided, how budgets and millage rates are adopted, and how properties are assessed and billed.  The video also draws some comparisons to illustrate how much government services cost per taxpayer; for example, it says that your share for the cost of library services annually works out to about the cost of one hardback book.

The video says that the average county property tax bill statewide is about $1,500.  Taxes in cities tend to be higher than taxes in counties because cities traditionally provide more services than counties.

The video also makes the point that the annual assessment notice you receive in May details your options for appeal if you disagree with your assessed value.  It's suggested that the time to consider an appeal is when you receive the assessment notice, not later in the year when you receive your bill.

It's informative and worth watching.  My favorite scene is when the firefighter carries a dog from a house:

The ACCG has also launched a website called "Facts About Property Tax" with more information for Georgia property taxpayers.