Oconee Outlook: Property Tax Relief Bill In Senate Would Shift Tax Relief From All Properties To Homesteaded Properties, Board Chair Says

[neillh...@earthlink.net]

HB 1116 on the ground in Oconee Co

-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Becker <lbbec...@18828111.mailchimpapp.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2026 1:17 AM
To: neillh...@earthlink.net
Subject: Property Tax Relief Bill In Senate Would Shift Tax Relief From All Properties To Homesteaded Properties, Board Chair Says

** Oconee County Observations
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,

Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell took a pause in his summary of county finances in his State of the County address on Wednesday (March 18) to comment on property tax legislation passed by the Georgia House of Representatives and now before the Senate.

Daniell said the current version of House Bill 1116 would impact the county in three ways.

First, it would change how the county uses monies collected through its Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).

At present, the owners of tax parcels in the county, whether business or homesteaded, receive a property tax reduction from LOST of 3.02 mills. For a home, Daniell said, that’s about $400 or $500 reduction in taxes.

If HB 1116 passes as now written, however, that reduction will be eliminated, and the county will use the revenue from LOST to fund property tax reductions for homesteaded properties first, and then, only if money if left over, reduce taxes for other properties in the county.

HB 1116 also limits increases in revenue from property taxes to 3 percent each year, or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher, Daniell said.

Finally, HB 1116 requires taxing entities that do not roll back the millage rate to fully offset inflationary growth in the tax digest to notify each property owner via mail of the failure to roll back the rate.

The last two provisions of HB 1116 would apply to the Oconee County Board of Education as well, and Oconee County Schools Finance Director Peter Adams on Wednesday estimated that the cap could reduce annual revenue compared to current projections by approximately $1.7 to $2.0 million per year.

For more on this story, please click through to Oconee County Observations (https://www.oconeecountyobservations.org/2026/03/latest-version-of-property-tax-relief.html) .

Thanks.

Lee

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