County Property Taxes to Stay the Same for 2012

There's good news for Gwinnett County propertery owners, come August when property tax bills arrive, homeowners won't see a tax increase. At least on the county's portion.

However, Peachtree Corners property owners will see a slight uptick on their bills. The new city established its millage rate at .85 mills for 2012.

On Tuesday the Board of Commissioners set the 2012 millage rate at 13.02 mills which is the same rate as last year. In 2013 commissioners had lowered the rate by .23 mills. That reduction came after the county had payed off a 1986 bond issue for roads and libraries.

In a press release Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “We’re not out of the woods yet from a general economic standpoint, but I’m proud of County elected officials and staff for working so hard to balance the 2012 budget with the same millage rate as last year without any major reductions in services.”

Property tax bills will go out in mid–August, with payment due in mid-October. The bills can be paid by:

• Phone
• At the main tax office in person
• Or at one of the special drop boxes at the tax and tag office

If you'd like to see how your tax money is allocated, the county's website has an interactive feature that allows homeowners to enter a property address (or fair market value) and the calculator will return an estimate of taxes for the county, schools, state and city that bill through the tax commissioner.

Click here for the county's web page with calculator. 

Because the tax digest is 5 percent lower than last year, there's about $14.8 million less revenue for the county's general fund this year. According to the county "nearly 26,000 property owners appealed their assessments in 2012, which is one of the factors that contributed to the loss in the tax digest."