ATLANTA — Fulton County commissioners heard from residents on Tuesday opposing a proposed property tax increase.
The residents said they're upset because any hike, combined with already skyrocketing property values, could result in a significant property tax increase that could force them out of their homes.
“It makes me feel sad; it makes me feel like I’m struggling, and I’m never going to get up,” said Maggie McCullom, who lives in Fulton County.
McCullom said she’s worried the Fulton County Commission’s proposal to keep its 2024 millage rate the same as 2023 instead of using the recommended rollback rate could have devastating impacts.
“Very unfair to seniors because you are on a fixed income. We are not going to get any more money,” McCullom added.
The state requires all counties to roll back their property tax rate to match the previous year's revenue, but commissioners say last year’s figures created a projected shortfall of $38 million. So, instead, they want to keep the millage rate the same, causing a smaller $12.3 million deficit.
“Generally speaking, we have had a habit of rolling back the rate. Unfortunately, we are at a point where we cannot roll it back; if we look at rolling it back, we’re going to have to cut some services,” Fulton County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said.
Abdur-Rahman said that, like residents, the county is also being impacted by inflation and rising costs. Even without the rollback, the county will not generate the revenue required to meet the proposed budget and will call on departments to make cuts.
“If we do this, it will have the least impact, and we will have to be very creative in making sure all of our departments maintain for all of Fulton County,” Abdur-Rahman added.
Still, those like McCullom, who are on a fixed income, worry that the increase will price them out of their home.
“We can’t really pay them, so either we are going to be on the homeless side, or your house is up for foreclosure. We have nowhere else to go. We can’t pay higher property taxes,” McCullom added.
According to Fulton County, the millage rate impacts will be manual. If your home is worth $500,000, you’ll pay about $54 more per year for the millage change, but that does not include potential tax increases caused by rising property values.