Kem Caldwell
County millage rates will decrease for a third consecutive year, pending approval from the Board of Commissioners.
The rate of 5.7596 mills for properties in incorporated areas (within city limits) is down 2.313% from last year. For unincorporated areas, the rate is at 5.475 mills, down 0.743%.
BOC Chairman Jay Paul said this could lead to property owners paying less in property tax this year.
“That could depend on things, such as home values, as well as the millage rate applied by the Board of Education,” he said. “There are several variables.”
The Board of Education will set its millage rate this fall.
Kem Caldwell, chief appraiser with the Oglethorpe County Tax Assessor’s Office, said new construction and rising market values mean the county expects to collect more money from property taxes even though individual county property taxes will be at a lower rate.
Homes in The Pines at Grove Creek, which is off Bunker Hill Road, went on the market earlier this year. There were 29 homes planned for that development.
The Mill Creek Meadows development, off Whites Run Road near its intersection with Arnoldsville Road, was scheduled for 20 homes.
“The millage rate has gone down each year because the Board of Commissioners (and county offices) try really hard to keep the taxes down,” Caldwell said in an email. “I can tell you, in my office, we are very frugal with our spending. We are very much aware that the money we spend isn’t just our money.”
One mill equates to $1 of tax liability per $1,000 of assessed value, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s website. Assessed value is determined by the Tax Assessor’s Office and should be 40% of a property’s value for most properties.
Property taxes are owed to the county by Dec. 20.
Property owners received a “notice of assessments” in June that includes their property’s assessed values and an estimate of the property tax that will be owed.
When those went out, Caldwell said Oglethorpe County properties were actually being undervalued compared to the 40% of market value benchmark set by Georgia law.
The county’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins Jan.1 and ends Dec. 31, 2025, was submitted to the Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5. A copy of the proposed budget is available on the county’s website (oglethorpecountyga.gov) and can be viewed at the Administrative Building at 105 Union Point Street in Lexington.
Public hearings on the proposed budget will be held in the boardroom at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27.
The budget resolution will be adopted by the Board of Commissioners at its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9. The commission generally meets on the first Monday of the month, but moved next month’s meeting to Sept. 9 because Labor Day is on Sept. 2.