City mails out 8,000 tax bills

Decatur’s property tax bills for the second installment of 2013 were mailed out a little over a week ago.  If you haven’t received your paper bill yet, please call us at 404-370-4100 to confirm that we have the right mailing address on file, or you can access your bill online.

Please note that we do not send paper tax bills to mortgage companies, so you should forward your bill to your lender if your taxes are paid out of escrow. 

If you have recently sold your property but have received a bill from us, keep in mind that DeKalb County does not instantly notify us of changes in ownership.  Please forward your bill to the new owner so they are aware of the taxes owed before the payment deadline passes on Dec. 20.

Your second installment bill reflects the total year’s billing—including all taxes, fees, and payments made during the first installment (between April and June).  If you have any questions about the calculation, please give us a call or a visit!

Library hosts debt clinic

When dealing with delinquent property tax accounts, we sometimes hear from homeowners who are also struggling with personal debts.  A consumer debt clinic will be held tomorrow night at the DeKalb Library, which would be a good opportunity for residents in this situation.

This notice appeared in this week's DeKalb Champion:

The Decatur Library is hosting a free consumer debt clinic Tuesday, Aug. 20, 5:30-7 p.m. The event is suitable for those struggling with debt, who have been sued for a debt or need information about debt.  Representatives of the DeKalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation will be on hand to answer questions.  Local attorneys will discuss information regarding debt cases in DeKalb County and facilitate one-on-one consultations.  Participants should bring all documents related to their cases.  The Decatur Library is located at 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur.  For more information, call (404) 370-3070. 

Sales tax holiday coming up Aug. 9-10

Shoppers in Georgia will have a chance late next week to purchase certain school supplies, computers, and clothing without paying sales tax. You can see a full list of what's eligible for the sales tax exemption at the state Department of Revenue's website. The sales tax in DeKalb County is normally 7 percent, so this is a good chance to save some money!

Residents' exemptions in 2013

The owners of 72 percent of the 7,092 residential properties in Decatur have a homestead exemption with the city in 2013.  The remaining 28 percent of residential properties do not have homestead exemptions.  There are a many possible reasons why no homestead exemption is claimed for a residential property:  it could be rented out, vacant, under development, owned by a company or bank, or the parcel may be too small to build a house (such as a rear or side lot that is just land).  Either the owner doesn't live at the property, it is not his or her primary residence, or he or she hasn't applied for the homestead exemption.

Of the residents who do have a homestead exemption, most of them just have the basic homestead exemption, meaning that they do not qualify for our age-based or income-based exemptions.

Six percent of residential property owners qualify for an age-based exemption (meaning they have reached the age of at least 65), but do not qualify for exemptions that requires a specific income in order to qualify.  Eight percent of residents qualify for exemptions that are based both on age and an income limit.

Decatur property tax resources

City Hall will be closed tomorrow for Independence Day.  The Revenue Division and all other non-public safety operations of the City will also be closed on Friday, July 5.

If need tax information during that time, please use our website at http://www.decaturgatax.com/ where you can look up tax records for any property within city limits.  The website also allows you to print a tax bill, a receipt, make a payment with a convenience fee, or access commercial sanitation accounts.  If you're having trouble finding a record, please be sure to look at the "Search Tips" box to the right of where you enter the information you're keying in.  The tips looks like this:

If you're searching by property ID, please use spaces but not hyphens.  If searching by address, do not use punctuation.  If you've tried those techniques without success, the property may not be in the City of Decatur.  Most Decatur properties have a ZIP code of 30030.

General information about Decatur's tax bills can also be found here.  If you also need information about a DeKalb County tax bill, which is a separate bill from Decatur's, you can visit http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/TaxCommissioner/tc-home.html.

Three DeKalb cities propose millage rate increases

The city councils of Stone Mountain, Brookhaven, and Avondale Estates have all tentatively adopted millage rate increases that would increase property taxes in those communities.

Avondale Estates proposed an increase of 1.75 mills, which would increase property taxes there by about 17 percent. Stone Mountain tentatively adopted an increase of 6.211 mills, or 28 percent, and will have a public hearing on July 2. Brookhaven is considering a 3.35 millage rate which would replace taxes previously levied by DeKalb, with a final vote scheduled for July 8.

Decatur’s City Commission adopted a budget on June 17 that kept millage rates the same as last year.

Fewer homeowners receive age-80 exemption in 2013

While there has been an increase over the past five years in the number of Decatur residents who qualify for age-based homestead exemptions in their sixties and seventies, the number of property owners who qualify for the age-80 or “S2” exemption appears to be flat-lining or declining slightly.

This graph shows age and income-based exemptions with the bright green line at the bottom showing the trend for the number of residents with the S2 exemption:

All resident homeowners can qualify for a basic homestead exemption.  Homeowners in Decatur begin qualifying for additional property tax exemptions depending on their age and income after they turn 62.  Residents who are 80 or older as of January 1 may qualify for the S2 exemption which exempts them from paying school taxes if the federal adjusted gross income of the owner and the owner’s spouse is less than $40,000 a year.

About 210 residents received the S2 each year from 2008 to 2011, but that number fell to 197 in 2012 and 188 this year, suggesting that there may be somewhat fewer people remaining in their houses into their eighties, or that more elderly residents exceed the income limit for the age 80 exemption.

Grace period for tax payments expires today

Decatur's first installment property tax bills for 2013 were due on June 3.  No penalties or interest have been added to accounts yet, but this grace period ends today.  Please mail your check to:

 

     City of Decatur

     PO Box 945650

     Atlanta, GA  30394-5650

 

We honor postmarks, so there is no need to overnight your payment.

 

Unpaid balances as of tomorrow will be subject to a 10 percent penalty and 1 percent interest.

 

How Decatur compares in online payments

The City of Decatur accepted approximately $1.4 million in online payments from July 2011 to June 2012.  This included 9,000 separate web-based transactions involving $600K in fees for recreation and after-school programs, $500K in court fines and fees, and $300K for property taxes.

The Center for Performance Management reports that the average volume of payments made last year was $482,140 for cities like ours with populations under 25,000, suggesting that more payments are made online to Decatur compared to other cities our size.  However, online payments to municipalities can vary significantly depending on whether the jurisdiction does its own tax or utility billing.  For example, the City of Cartersville, Georgia, took in over $4 million in online payments last year, but that included online payments for electric, water and sewer bills.  Decatur does its own tax billing but does not do utility billing.

Online payment options are offered to provide convenience for individuals and businesses making payments to the city.  The Revenue Division intends to expand online payment options by allowing businesses to renew their licenses online beginning this fall.

Tax payment grace period offered

 

Decatur's first installment property tax bills for 2013 were due yesterday.  But if you haven't mailed your check in yet, you're in luck--no penalties or interest will be added to accounts until June 17.

 

Please drop your check in the mail to the City of Decatur at PO Box 945650, Atlanta GA  30394-5650 or come by and see us before then.

 

Budget Expo tonight!

 

 

Stop by the inaugural Budget Expo from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29th at the Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore Street. The “Touch a Budget” event will feature items included in the proposed budget, so come on out and chat with staff, see some cool things and maybe win a prize or two. 

 

It will be a good opportunity to see how your tax dollars are being spent!