Residents are strongly encouraged to attend the upcoming public hearings on property tax in Muscogee County so their voice may be heard as a citizen and may also contact their respective city council members.

COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Columbus Consolidated Government will be holding three public hearings regarding a proposed increase in property taxes. The meetings will be held in the city council chambers on the second floor of the C. E. “Red” McDaniel City Services Center at 3111 Citizens Way, Columbus, GA 31906.

The three legally-required public hearings are scheduled as follows, with the first two happening in the coming week:

• Tuesday, June 13 at 9:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, June 13 at 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 20 at 9:00 a.m.

As property values increase each year, Georgia counties are required by law to determine their rollback rate, which is the tax rate they would have to charge to bring in the same amount of revenue they did the year before. As the number of properties and their values increase, a lower tax rate is capable of producing the same amount of revenue; hence the term rollback rate. 

Since the total value of taxable property in the county has increased — enough to bring in an estimated $10 million more than last year — the county has the option to lower the tax rate down to that rollback rate.

Instead, the city is proposing to keep the rate just as high as ever — at 23.321 mills, or 2.3321% — so they can garner millions and millions of even more dollars from residents. Remember: even if the county lowered the rate back to the rollback rate, they’d still earn just as much tax revenue as last year. That’s the entire point of the rollback rate.

To no surprise, the county would really like to take that additional $10 million away from the very residents who put up their own time, money, and resources to improve real property development in the first place.

As a “thank you” for building, buying, or improving real property that you yourself took the risk to build — and that you own — Muscogee County now wants to continue to tax you through the nose for the privilege of enjoying what you built, all so they can put even more of your money in their own coffers, instead of giving you a break while they make just as much anyway.

Does anyone else notice how this disincentivizes development?

Stay tuned tomorrow for our Deep Dive Into The Muscogee County Property Tax Increase as we continue to follow up on this important topic.

Residents are strongly encouraged to attend the upcoming public hearings on property tax in Muscogee County so their voice may be heard as a citizen and may also contact their respective city council members.

Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.

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