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Henry County commissioners adopt resolution opposing Senate Bill 1 property-tax changes
Summary
The Henry County Commissioners voted 3-0 to adopt a resolution opposing Senate Bill 1, which would phase out business personal property tax and change how homes, rentals and farmland are assessed, citing threats to redevelopment financing and local services.
The Henry County Commissioners voted 3-0 on April 9 to adopt a resolution opposing Senate Bill 1, a state measure described during the meeting as proposing a phase-out of business personal property tax and changes to assessment rules for homes, rental properties and farmland.
Commissioners said the legislation, as amended in the state House ways and means process, included changes that could erode local tax bases used to back redevelopment financing and pay debt service. County staff warned that phasing out the business personal property tax statewide was estimated in a fiscal note to reduce local property-tax revenue by about $1.5 billion over the early years cited in the fiscal analysis; commissioners said that could imperil local redevelopment commissions and projects that rely on tax-increment financing.
A commissioner said local governments might be forced to consider raising local income taxes and that shifting tax burdens from state to local levels could make county officials responsible for difficult choices. After a brief discussion, a motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded; the vote passed 3-0.
The county directed staff to draft a resolution tailored to Henry County and, time permitting, to circulate it for county signatures so it could be delivered to state lawmakers as the bill moved quickly through its second reading in the General Assembly.
