Are Cobb’s property taxes going up under Cupid?
Share
After all of the governmental speak and jargon this week which most people cannot understand, residents of Cobb County wanted to know if their property taxes were going up. The short and long answer is yes.
The county is set to keep the millage rate at 8.46 mills, which was set by then-Chairman Mike Boyce in 2018 and not raised since. However, soaring property values around the county resulted in an estimated 5.5% growth in the tax digest. Notwithstanding the millage rate remaining as it was, property taxes are still going up on Chair Lisa Cupid’s watch because of the rise in assessed values. Under state law, the county is required to advertise the effective increase, which comes to around 5.35%, or $51.60 for a house with a fair market value of $325,000.
Were the county to implement a millage “rollback”—a reduction of the rate to offset the increase in revenues—the millage rate would be, at maximum, 8.03 mills. However, under Cupid, no such rollback or relief to taxpayers is planned for this year. Many expected Cupid to take this reasonable approach and lead the efforts for a millage rollback, which would allow taxpayers to offset the increase in property taxes. It appears Chair Cupid is going in a different direction and leaving citizens holding the bag with the tax increase at a time when they could use the help from their County government.
Citizens can contact Cupid for answers or to express concerns. You can also attend one of the three public hearings on the 2021 millage rate.
Chair Lisa Cupid
(770) 528-3305
