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Acworth schedules next millage rate public hearing
The City of Acworth held a public meeting to address confusion over a legally required online announcement stating officials have adopted a property tax increase.
ACWORTH, Ga. - The City of Acworth held a public forum on Monday to clarify its proposed millage rate following confusing notifications on the city's website regarding property tax increases.
Millage rate adjustments
What we know:
Acworth City Manager James Albright clarified that while state-mandated legal advertisements technically state the city is increasing taxes, the notice stems from the city collecting more total tax revenue overall rather than raising individual rates.
"The advertisement we are legally bound to run through the state does say we are increasing taxes, but where it gets confusing is we are collecting more total taxes," Acworth City Manager James Albright said.
City officials confirmed that the proposed millage rate will remain unchanged for a large number of local homeowners who hold a homestead exemption. While property taxes are a baseline expense that all homeowners must pay, residents protected by the exemption will not pay higher city taxes next year.
The homestead exemption, which can be claimed by any individual who owns and lives in their primary home, locks in a property's taxable baseline value. Albright noted that this buffer safeguards taxpayers against rising local assessments, ensuring their city tax burden remains flat even if the county's formal appraisal value doubles or triples.
"It protects our taxpayers when they file at the beginning that value remains in place no matter how much the appraisal goes up, it can double or triple. But as long as the millage rate doesn’t change the rate at which people are taxed, homeowners in Acworth with a homestead exemption won't see an increase in city taxes this year," Albright said.
Non-exempt property changes
Local perspective:
Residents who do not possess a homestead exemption will likely see an increase in their upcoming tax bills if the Cobb County assessor increases their underlying valuations.
"If you don’t have an exemption, you fall under the category of commercial property or residential property used as a rental, ie investment property, and if value based on the Cobb County assessor increases, then yes, you could see an increase," Albright said.
This higher tax bracket primarily impacts commercial operations and residential real estate utilized as rental or investment properties. Albright strongly recommends that eligible homeowners who do not currently have the buffer visit the Cobb County website to file an official application.
What's next:
July 16 is the next scheduled date for the city's next official public hearing regarding the proposed millage rate.
What we don't know:
City officials have not publicly detailed the exact percentage by which the total gross tax digest grew this year. Additionally, administrators have not specified the total estimated dollar volume in additional revenue the municipal government expects to collect from commercial and investment properties next year.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from official public meeting briefs and statements provided by Acworth City Manager James Albright, who outlined the city's current tax guidelines and exemptions.