Tax office closed Monday

City Hall including the Revenue Division will be closed on Monday, January 2 in observance of the new year.  City departments will reopen on Tuesday, January 3.  For information or payments over the holiday weekend, tax and business license accounts can be accessed online at www.decaturgatax.com.

Tax office to close Friday and Monday

City Hall, including the property tax office, will be closed from December 23 through December 26 for Christmas.  We will re-open Tuesday, December 27 at 8:00 a.m.  Tax and business license information is available anytime at www.decaturgatax.com.

Tax office closed for Labor Day

Decatur's tax office will be closed on Monday, September 5. If you need immediate information over the holiday weekend, please go to decaturgatax.com. Since the post office and banks will also be closed, please expect any payments that you have recently sent in to take some additional time to clear and be posted to your account. We will reopen on September 6 at 8 a.m.

City Hall closed for Presidents Day

Decatur City Hall including the tax office will be closed on Monday, February 15.  If you need immediate tax information over the holiday weekend, please go to www.decaturgatax.com.  Please keep in mind if you are making or recently made a payment that it will take longer than usual to clear the bank. We will reopen Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.

City Hall closed New Year's Day

Decatur City Hall including the tax office will be closed on Friday, January 1.  Since the post office and banks will also be closed, please expect any payments that you have recently sent in to take some additional time to clear and be posted to your account.  We will reopen on January 4.

Holiday schedule for Decatur City Hall

City Hall, including the tax office, will be closed on December 24 and 25.  Please note that if you haven't paid your second installment property tax bill for 2015, you have a grace period up until January 7.  Merry Christmas!

Tax office closed for Thanksgiving

Decatur City Hall including the tax office will be closed on Nov. 26-27 for Thanksgiving.  If you need tax or business license information over the holiday weekend, please visit www.decaturgatax.com.

Open for Columbus Day

City Hall, including the property tax office, will be open for business on Monday, October 12, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.  The DeKalb County tax commissioner's and tax assessors office should be open too.  Because post offices and banks will be closed, please note that if you attempt to mail or deliver us a payment, it will take an additional day before the payment clears.

Sales tax holiday Jul. 31 to Aug. 1

Georgia's annual sales tax holiday will take place this Friday and Saturday.  Tax-exempt items include computers, printers, and other technology accessories with a sales price under $1,000.  Clothes and shoes are also tax-exempt if the sales price is under $100.  School supplies under $20 are also tax-exempt.

A shopper in Decatur or DeKalb could save up to $70 on a computer, $7 per garment or pair of shoes, etc.  A more detailed list of qualifying items is available on the state Department of Revenue's website here.

City Hall closed tomorrow

City Hall, including the tax office, will be closed tomorrow, July 3, in observance of Independence Day.  If you need tax or business license information online during the holiday weekend, please go to www.decaturgatax.com.  Sanitation schedule information is here.  The fireworks show in downtown Decatur will probably start a little after 9 p.m. on Saturday.  City Hall will reopen on Monday, July 6 at 8 a.m.

2 other property tax measures signed into law

In addition to House Bill 202 that modified some procedures for appealing property tax assessments, Gov. Nathan Deal signed two other pieces of legislation last week that affect property taxpayers.  First, HB 215 provides for a referendum on an “equalized HOST” that would increase sales taxes and provide some property tax relief to DeKalb homeowners.  Second, HB 234 provides that no tax payment deadline shall fall on a Federal Reserve bank holiday.  That law doesn’t have much of a practical effect since there are very few Federal Reserve holidays that aren’t already federal or state holidays, and the ones that are don’t fall on any of Decatur's tax due dates.

Tax office schedule announcement

City Hall including the tax office will be closed on January 1-2. If you need information about taxes during this time period, please use our website at www.decaturgatax.com. From there you can search, view, and pay property taxes with no convenience fee by electronic check, or by credit card with a convenience fee. Occupation taxes (business license fees) can also be paid from this website without a convenience fee.  Our office will re-open on Monday, January 5.  If you are attempting to pay taxes for the 2nd installment of 2014, please note that there is a payment grace period up through Jan. 8, 2015, during which time no penalties or interest will be added to past due accounts.

Tax office to re-open on Dec. 29

City Hall including the Decatur Revenue Division will be closed on Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26.  If you need information about taxes during the holiday, please use our website at www.decaturgatax.com. From there you can search, view, and pay property taxes with no convenience fee by electronic check, or by credit card with a convenience fee. Occupation taxes (business license fees) can also be paid from this website without a convenience fee.

Property tax office closed for Thanksgiving

The tax office will be closed on Thursday Nov. 27 and Friday Nov. 28 for Thanksgiving. If you need information about taxes during the holiday, please use our website at www.decaturgatax.com. From there you can search, view, and pay property taxes with no convenience fee by electronic check, or by credit card with a convenience fee. Occupation taxes (business license fees) can also be paid from this website without a convenience fee.

Tax office closed for Labor Day

Decatur City Hall, including the tax office, will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day. If you need immediate information while we’re closed, please go to decaturgatax.com. From there you can access all of our city property tax, stormwater, and sanitation accounts going back to 2009. Tax payments can also be made on that website with a convenience fee charged by our third-party payment processor.

At that website, you can also access occupation tax records (business licenses) and pay to renew your business license without any extra processing fees.

To apply for a basic homestead exemption online, go to www.decaturga.com/homestead. General tax information including millage rates and how bills are calculated are available at www.decaturga.com/taxes.

Please note that if you owe delinquent taxes, an additional 1 percent monthly interest charge will accrue on unpaid balances on September 2.

Foreclosure freezes thaw out

Suspensions on home foreclosures by major mortage lenders during the holiday season have come to an end. Last month the Associated Press ran this holiday news story about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac:

WASHINGTON – Mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are suspending foreclosures and evictions for about two weeks in a temporary break for borrowers during the holiday season.

The suspension, announced Thursday by the government-controlled companies, runs from Saturday through Jan. 3. "No family should have to face the prospect of being evicted during the holiday season," Michael Williams, Fannie Mae's chief executive, said in a statement.

On Dec. 17, Citigroup, Inc. announced a slightly longer suspension:

NEW YORK (TheStreet) – Citigroup said Thursday it plans to suspend foreclosures for 30 days for homeowners with Citigroup-owned mortgages.

Under the program, which begins Friday, Citigroup will halt all foreclosure sales on first mortgage accounts nationwide through Jan. 17. The bank also will cease evictions.

Despite expectations of fewer foreclosures during the holiday season due to freezes such as these, CNBC’s Diana Olick reported last week that bank foreclosures actually increased during the month of December. According to her Realty Check blog, foreclosures surged by 14 percent.

The City does not receive or maintain records on the number of homes foreclosed on by banks, but anecdotally the foreclosure rate has remained lower than neighboring communities.