Randolph Co. property taxes cause concerns

CUTHBERT, Ga. (WALB) - As inflation continues impacting housing, some residents in Randolph County said their property taxes have doubled.

Bob Taylor, Randolph County chief tax assessor, said a required notice of assessment was sent out to property owners recently. The assessment is done annually to review the tax year.

The notice shows the value of the resident’s property and estimated taxes based on last year’s milage rate. That’s where he said the confusion came from.

Randolph County Chief Tax Assessor Bob Taylor said homeowners are confusing the tax assessment... — Randolph County Chief Tax Assessor Bob Taylor said homeowners are confusing the tax assessment notice with a tax bill.(WALB)

“It states that this is not a bill. A lot of people think this is their bill, but it’s printed bold at the top that this is not a bill. Your taxes could be higher or lower than these estimated taxes,” he said.

Many took to Facebook about their frustrations, saying they face the same problem every year. One resident commented on a WALB Facebook post saying their property tax went up to $450 more than last year’s.

Taylor said the millage rate is based on the school board and the county’s budgets. Both of which haven’t been set yet.

Randolph County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tangela Madge sent out a statement regarding the school system’s role in current property taxes that mentions:

Taylor said property owner taxes will be determined by the budget decision and that tax bills will be released by Oct. 20.

“If the board of commissioners and the Randolph County School Board maintain their budgets with the new digest, which is higher than last year, then the mill rates will go down and their actual taxes will be close or similar to previous years,” he said.

What determines a property tax increase?

Property tax is a type of ad valorem tax. This is determined by value based on someone’s wealth, which is determined by the property that person owns.

Property is assessed by things like:

Assessed values means that property in Georgia is required to be assessed at 40% at market value. Property is assessed at the county level. Fair market value is defined as "the amount a knowledgeable buyer would pay for the property and a willing seller would accept for the property at an arm's length, bona fide sale."
Historic properties could also qualify for preferential assessment.
There are a number of special assessment programs that are available to property owners. These include preferential agricultural property, environmentally sensitive property, among others.

Source: Georgia Department of Revenue

Taylor encourages people to come to the Randolph Government Center to speak directly to him if they have any questions.

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