Alpharetta Cumming Lake Lanier Real Estate Blog

JOHNS CREEK, GA—The City of Johns Creek is currently in the process of establishing its 2009 millage rate. Because the city was not incorporated until Dec. 1, 2006, it cannot publish a five-year history of its tax digest, property tax revenues, and millage rate as is normally required. However, the city has published the information that is available for 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Each year the Fulton County Board of Tax Assessors is required to review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county. When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicated there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the Board of Tax Assessors is required by law to re-determine the value of such property and adjust the assessment. This is called a reassessment.

As a result of reassessment, the total amount of property tax collected by the city under the current millage rate is expected to decrease by 2 percent. This decrease does not include additional tax revenue generated by new construction and improvements to property.

Before the City of Johns Creek sets the final millage rate for 2009, three public hearings will be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions. All concerned citizens are invited to attend and participate in the public hearings, which will be held at Johns Creek City Hall Council Chambers, 12000 Findley Road, Suite 300, at the following dates and times:



Action to adopt the final millage rate for 2009 is scheduled to take place at the Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, which begins at 7 p.m.

Labels: fulton county, johns creek, millage rate, property tax, public hearings, tax assessor

Both the county Maintenance and Operation and the Bond portions of Forsyth County's millage rate will see no increase, as approved at the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners' July 30 meeting. The vote followed the third of three Public Hearings held regarding the millage rate.

Those two portions of county taxes, along with the Fire millage rate, were voted on as separate measures. Following the vote, the county Maintenance and Operation rate will remain at 3.834 mills. The Bond rate will remain at 1.196 mills. The new Fire rate is 1.841 mills, up from 1.765 mills in 2008. The lone increase in the Fire millage rate represents a total millage increase of 0.076 mills.

The approved Fire property tax increase would raise taxes on a home valued at $200,000 by approximately $5.47. The revenue generated by this increase will be put aside to fund future replacements of fire apparatus.

The proposed increase in the county Maintenance and Operation rate, which was not approved, was being considered to help offset a projected deficit in the county's 2010 preliminary budget. Without the increase, the Board of Commissioners will consider other measures for closing the gap between the preliminary budget and projected revenues. Cost-saving options that have been identified include reductions in county service levels, delay of county projects, employee furloughs, unpaid employee holidays, increases in employee costs for healthcare and staff reductions. These measures would come in addition to budget reductions and cut-backs already implemented by the county.

Labels: forsyth county, increase, millage rate, property tax

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will be considering the adoption of a millage rate that will require an increase property taxes.

The proposed county Maintenance and Operation rate remains at 3.834. The proposed Fire rate remains at 1.765. The proposed Bond rate is 1.196 mills, up from 0.446 mills in 2007. This represents a total millage increase of 0.75 mills.

The significant increase in the Bond property tax rate is due to the approval of the $100 million parks, recreation and green space bond measure approved by voters in February. The county intends to issue these bonds in September or October.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will hold three (3) public hearings to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions regarding the increase.

All concerned citizens are invited to attend the public hearings regarding this tax increase. The hearings will be held at the Forsyth County Administration Building located at 110 E. Main Street, Suite 220, in Cumming on Tuesday, July 8 at 3 p.m. and Thursday, July 17 at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Labels: bond, forsyth county, millage rate, property tax

The City of Alpharetta will significantly reduce the millage rate it applies to property taxes in Fiscal Year 2009 to 5.750 mills, a reduction of 0.498 mills from the City’s 2008 rate.

In spite of the reduction, the City will be required to advertise a property tax increase. Georgia law requires the City to compute a “rollback millage rate” that would produce the same total revenue after reassessments as had been received from property taxes in the previous Fiscal Year. Due to projected reassessments, the City’s millage rate for Fiscal Year 2009 will increase property tax revenues by 7.06% over the rollback rate, so by law a tax increase must be advertised.

The projected tax digest for Fiscal Year 2009 reflects historically large reassessments of the value of commercial properties by the Fulton County Tax Assessor. It is anticipated that many of these reassessments will be challenged or litigated. The outcome of those challenges could significantly reduce the tax digest.

The City must adopt its annual millage rate by June 30; well before the resolution of any assessment challenges. To mitigate this issue, the City is not adopting the rollback millage rate. This action ensures that should material portions of the reassessments be reduced, the City can continue to provide the services its citizenry and businesses deserve while still providing for a millage rate reduction.

The City of Alpharetta will hold three public hearings to hear and consider citizen comments regarding the proposed FY 2009 millage rate. These hearings will be held at Alpharetta City Hall, located at 2 South Main Street, on the following dates and times:

Thursday, June 12 at 11:30 AM
Thursday, June 12 at 6:30 PM
Thursday, June 19 at 7:30 PM

Labels: Alpharetta, millage rate, property tax, reduction