Columbia County holds fourth public hearing on state homestead-exemption law; no local decision made

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on House Bill 581 — the state law that creates a statewide, floating homestead exemption — on Feb. 18 and took public comment but did not vote to opt in or out.

County officials and residents said the law’s mechanics, timing and fiscal consequences remain unclear to many. Chairman, Columbia County Board of Commissioners, opened the hearing and County Manager Mr. Johnson provided a detailed explanation of the bill, its three parts and how it would interact with local budgeting.

Mr. Johnson said House Bill 581 contains three elements: a floating homestead exemption that would limit year‑to‑year assessed increases on homesteaded property to a CPI or a rate set by the state revenue commissioner; an optional local one‑cent sales tax to offset lost property tax revenue; and several property‑tax process reforms. He said the law was 27 pages long and began to take effect Jan. 1, with a March 1 local deadline to declare an intent to opt out. “We were then given from January 1 to March 1 to decide whether or not we were gonna opt in or opt out,” Mr. Johnson said.

Mr. Johnson warned the cap applies only to homesteaded property and…