Some property owners in Dawson County will see higher tax bills as a result of increasing property values.
On average, property values in Dawson County went up six percent this year, Dawson County Commission Chair Mike Berg said.
Commissioners announced Friday their intention to leave the countys portion of the current millage rate unchanged at 8.138 which would increase the 2015 property taxes it will levy this year by 7.83 percent over the rollback millage rate.
This is not a tax increase,Berg said. If your property appraisal went up, then you will pay more in property taxes.
Berg explained that during the economic downturn, property values in Dawson County dropped 35.6 percent.
Were not near where we were on property values six years ago, he said.
Each year, the board of tax assessors is required to review the assessed value for property tax purposes.
When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the board is required by law to redetermine the value of such property and adjust the assessment, according to a press release issued by the county Friday.
Additionally, when the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current years digest that last years millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.
A home appraised at $100,000 last year may have a value of $106,000 this year. The increase in fair market value amounts to about $58.28 in additional property taxes.
However, according to county attorney Joey Homans, not everyone will be affected.
Some properties will go up, some will go down, and others wont be affected at all, he said.
The board of commissioners will hold three public hearings to receive feedback from citizens: July 2 at 6 p.m.; July 9 at 4 p.m.; and July 16 at 6 p.m. at the Dawson County Government Center, 25 Justice Way, Dawsonville, second floor.
Dawson Countys total millage rate, which includes the school board, has remained unchanged since 2004 at 25.534 mills.