Posts Tagged ‘millage rate’

Lower Property Value, But Maybe No Lower Tax Bill

The AJC reports that Gwinnett County has adjusted the assessed value of tens of thousands of residential properties downward:

The vast majority of the 120,000 residential property notices issued in the first batch will show an average value decrease of 17 percent or $35,000 of market value, Pruitt said. The sum of all decreases for residential property totals approximately $4.2 billion of market value.

As I explained in “Tax Digest Time Bomb,” the lower tax value may not necessarily translate into a lower tax bill. In fact, as a result of the 2009 tax increase that is being continued for 2010, you will probably pay a lot more than in previous years.

Gwinnett property owners may get good news  | ajc.com

More Budget Shenanigans in Gwinnett

The budget that the County Commission is poised to approve on Tuesday is not the same budget about which the county held public hearings last year. It also appears that Chairman Charles Bannister plans to exact a little political payback on a fellow Commissioner, but it will be the residents of Commission District 3 who will suffer.

Budget `Bait and Switch`

Bannister presented his 2010 budget to the other Commissioners and to the public on December 1, as required by law. The law is designed to give the public ample opportunity to review the document prior to its adoption. The required public hearings were also held. Read more…

Tax Increase `Bait and Switch`

Gwinnett Daily Post reporter Camie Young touches briefly on an alarming revelation: the County Commission may not spend revenue from the recently-passed tax increase on police officers, fire stations and libraries after all. Instead, the county may apply the funds to the county’s growing accrued liabilities:

The $59 million Gwinnett County will collect next spring during a second billing of 2009 taxes could be set aside for employee pension liabilities, the county chief financial officer said.

Official: Use extra tax money for pensions

The Tax Increase: Myths and Misconceptions

At SaveGwinnett.com, I have published the first of several articles on the Gwinnett County Commission’s proposed millage increase:

If you’re totally against a tax increase, you face an uphill battle. The reality is that there are already enough votes to pass the tax hike as proposed. Chairman Bannister has signaled that he will support it, as has Kevin Kenerly, who isn’t running for reelection. Shirley Lasseter is a sure second vote for Bannister; Bert Nasuti is also a lame duck but is open to reason. Only Mike Beaudreau is expected to oppose it.

There is, however, plenty about this proposal to criticize. As I will explain, the increase could be reduced by 32% and still fund the full restoration of service levels for this year.

SaveGwinnett.com » The Tax Increase: Myths and Misconceptions

Property tax fight gears up

Once again, Rep. Lindsey proposes to “fix” the unfairness in the state’s property tax system by introducing yet more inequity:

State Rep. Edward Lindsey (R-Buckhead) said the current crisis sheds light on a flaw in the system — that assessments are a tax on an unrealized gain — an issue that draws some complaints when values are rising but seems just plain unfair when they tumble.

The following correspondence was sent this morning to various reporters, state legislators and those quoted in the article:

Read more…