DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — Douglas County is remailing tax assessment notices to about 25,000 property owners after last month's software glitch caused an error to be reflected on thousands of them. This impacted many homeowners who are eligible for the homestead exemption.
In a news release, the county explained how the error occurred. Douglas County officials said it is using a new vendor and new computer-based appraisal system. On June 23, the county Appraisal Department sent out property tax assessment notices to more than 54,000 parcels. Officials said the homestead exemption was not included in some of the notifications that were originally mailed out due to a software glitch.
Friday, they said the omission resulted in incorrect tax assessments for about 15,000 of the 25,000 property owners who are eligible for homestead exemption.
“While not all of the property owners with Homestead Exemption eligibility were impacted by this error, we are resending notices to all eligible property owners in an effort to alleviate any potential confusion,” Douglas County Chief Appraiser Steve Balfour said in a news release.
County officials previously said the error was reflected in the paper notices but the calculations were correct in the Appraisal Department’s system.
“As we continue to work with our vendor to assess this issue, we remain committed to safeguarding the integrity of this process and ensuring that the information that is disseminated, and upon which homeowners rely for their financial planning purposes, is accurate,” said Interim County Administrator David Corbin.
The deadline for appealing the corrected property assessment has been extended to August 21, officials said. Property owners who want to check their assessment, including any Homestead Exemptions, can do so online or by contacting the Appraisal Department at 770-920-7228.