Stonecrest holds public hearing on proposed 2025 millage rate, tentatively unchanged at 1.257 mills

Stonecrest city officials held a public hearing June 9 on the proposed 2025 millage rate of 1.257 mills, a figure city staff said will remain the same as 2024 but will produce an estimated 1.53% tax increase on properties that saw reassessments by the county.

The hearing matters because state law requires additional notice and hearings when a proposed millage exceeds the state-calculated rollback rate; staff said that classification makes the proposal legally a “property tax increase” even though the city’s levy is unchanged.

Eric Hawkins, the city’s revenue manager, presented the proposal and described the legal context: “The Taxpayer Bill of Rights was enacted January 2000,” Hawkins said, adding that “a mill is equal to $1 in taxes per $1,000 of assessed property value.” Hawkins said the city tentatively adopted a 2025 millage rate of 1.257 mills, an increase of 0.019 mills above the rollback threshold that the state uses to determine whether a proposed rate constitutes an increase.

Mayor Pro Tem George Turner framed the local effect for residents, saying the city itself is not raising its levy. “The city is not increasing taxes. We are remaining at 1.257,” Turner said, explaining that any change in an individual property’s bill is usually the result of county reassessments rather than a change in Stonecrest’s levy.

Staff provided examples of estimated impacts: a homestead property with a market value of $300,000 would see about a $2.37 increase under the tentative figures; a non‑homestead property with a $500,000 market value would see about a $3.33 increase. Hawkins said notices had been published May 29 in the AJC, The Champion and Common Ground as required by state law, and that there are 11,165 homestead properties and 9,177 non‑homestead properties in the digest figures cited.

Councilwoman Tara Graves moved to open the public hearing; the motion passed 4–0. No members of the public spoke for or against the proposal during the June 9 work session, and Council voted 4–0 to close the hearing. Council staff said the formal public hearing process will continue, and the next public hearing is scheduled for June 26 at 6 p.m.

Discussion at the meeting reiterated that reassessments are performed by the county appraisal office and that property owners who wish to contest their valuations should contact the county. Councilmembers asked staff to keep communicating the difference between a city levy and county/school levies so residents understand why most of a tax bill is not the city’s portion.