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Creek holds Residents seek tax rate rollback Johns first of 3 hearings By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — In the first public hearing for the property tax millage rate, Johns Creek highlighted that its current rate — one it plans to keep — is the lowest in Fulton County. But residents went before the council July 25 with criticisms, saying this is an apples-to-oranges comparison. The city has tentatively adopted a property tax rate of 3.986 mills, unchanged from last year. Even so, property owners may face higher tax bills because of rising values. According to the preliminary tax digest from Fulton County, the value of Johns Creek property has increased by more than 10 percent. Property taxes account for about 30 percent of the city’s General Fund revenue base, funding public safety, city administration, capital projects and enhancements as well other strategic priorities the City Council identifies. The Johns Creek fiscal year 2023 budget anticipated $20.2 million in property tax revenue. Based on the property value increase, the current millage rate would generate $2.7 million more than anticipated. If a rollback rate of 3.646 mills is adopted, the city would generate $0.7 million more. All three residents who spoke at the public hearing asked for the rollback rate. Royce Reinecke, a former City Council candidate, said the city
on 2023 mill levy
Johns Creek.” He also said the cap on property increase does not pertain to all property owners. The Georgia General Assembly passed legislation in 2016 allowing Fulton County to cap property value increases at 3 percent or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The cap does not protect business owners, Reinecke said. Property
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Johns Creek officials conducted the first of three public hearings July 25 to set property tax rates for 2023. The city’s proposed levy of 3.986 mills would be the same as last year. Even so, property owners may face higher tax bills because of rising values. The second and third public hearings are set for Aug. 8 at City Hall on Lakeview Drive. There will be a morning session at 11 a.m., then the final hearing during the regular City Council meeting at 7 p.m. At the close, the council will take a formal vote on the levy. Under Georgia law, maintaining the same millage rate when property values rise is regarded as a tax increase, and the city is required to hold a public hearing to give residents an opportunity to comment. Had the City Council opted to keep property tax revenue the same as last year, the mill levy would have been reduced – or “rolled back” – to 3.646 mills. Each year, the Board of Tax Assessors is required to review the assessed value of taxable property in the county. When the trends of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been
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See LEVY, Page 3
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Royce Reinecke, Johns Creek resident and former City Council candidate, appeals to the City Council for a rollback on the property tax rate at a July 25 meeting. The three residents who spoke at the public hearing asked for the rollback rate of 3.646 mills, as opposed to the proposed current rate of 3.986 mills. should compare itself to other cities in terms of the millage rate because every city has a different level of exemptions. “In other cities, where the millage rate is higher, they have very much higher exemptions,” Reinecke said. “So, you have to look at the total burden, not just the millage rate burden. So, don’t get deluded into thinking that somehow our millage rate is uniquely low because it isn’t. We have very few exemptions in