Meriwether County commissioners say they intend to opt out of state’s House Bill 581 homestead cap; public hearing held

The Meriwether County Board of Commissioners announced at a Feb. 18 special-call meeting that the board intends to opt out of the statewide adjusted base-year ad valorem homestead exemption put in place by the state in House Bill 581, and held a public hearing to explain the county’s position and hear questions from residents.

The hearing and remarks were intended to reassure homeowners that the county plans to maintain its existing floating homestead exemption, a local measure the commissioners said has been in place about 24 years and that freezes a homeowner’s taxable value unless ownership changes or the owner obtains building permits for major improvements. “The member of the county board of commissioners intends to opt out of the statewide adjusted base year ad valorem homestead exemption which is house bill 5 81 for Meriwether County,” said Chairman (unnamed), chair of the Meriwether County Board of Commissioners.

Why it matters: county officials said the longstanding local floating exemption is, in their view, more beneficial to some homeowners than the state’s new cap because the local floating exemption preserves a homeowner’s frozen taxable value until a triggering event (change of ownership or permitted improvements), while the state measure allows annual increases tied to inflation. County staff said the county must also maintain an assessed property-value ratio in a target range to preserve certain tax-based revenue flows.

During the hearing county staff explained technical details that prompted questions from residents. A county staff member said Meriwether County is required to maintain an assessed property-value ratio between 38% and 42% of total county property value; staff added that keeping the ratio in that range preserves tax revenue from utilities including Georgia Power and Diverse Power. “So recently, some residents saw a slight increase in their tax bills due to adjustments made to keep the county within this required range,” the staff member said, adding that one example was a roughly $45.50 uptick for a resident after adjustments. The staff member also corrected a rounding noted in public remarks: for 2023 the county’s assessed percentage was 38.29%.

At the public microphone resident Adena Roland of 180 Stovall Road, Greenville, asked whether inheriting property would trigger a reassessment and affect eligibility for the local homestead exemption. Roland said she inherited her father’s property and currently has a homestead exemption in another county because she is selling that property. The county staff member replied that a transfer of ownership is considered a change in ownership for assessment purposes and that Roland would need to apply for homestead exemption in Meriwether County; the staff member said homestead exemption is based on the year an application is filed and that the residence must be the applicant’s primary residence as of Jan. 1 of the application year, with applications due before April 1.

The public hearing remained open for its required hour; after public questions the board moved out of the hearing by motion. The meeting record does not include a formal vote adopting an opt-out ordinance or resolution at the Feb. 18 session. “So, looks like after all the healthy conversation, we need a motion to come out of the public hearing,” the chairman said; a motion and second were recorded and the board left the hearing.

What the board said it would do next: commissioners characterized the hearing as part of a statutory process and said the intent was to keep the county’s current floating homestead exemption in place so “nothing changes from where it is currently today.” The board did not adopt any ordinance or resolution on Feb. 18 that appears in the meeting transcript; further formal action would be required to finalize an opt-out.

The hearing included time for general questions and staff said additional public hearings and notices would be posted as required by law.