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Fulton commissioners certify estimated rollback rate of 8.87 for 2025; CFO and tax commissioner warn about notice language and logistics
Summary
The Board certified an estimated rollback rate of 8.87 to meet a state March 1 deadline created by House Bill 581; staff warned the estimate is provisional, will appear on assessment notices in place of prior estimated‑tax figures, and could result in a required explanatory statement on the tax bill if the final millage exceeds the estimate.
Fulton County commissioners voted 5–1 on Feb. 19 to certify an estimated rollback rate of 8.87 for 2025 to meet a state deadline set under House Bill 581.
The county’s chief financial officer (Sharon) briefed the board on the statute’s new requirements and on practical complications: local taxing jurisdictions must provide the tax commissioner an estimated rollback rate (a function of the current millage minus the millage equivalent of value added by reassessment) by March 1, even though full reassessment values will not be available until later in the digest process. The estimated rollback rate will replace the estimated tax amount on the assessment notice and, if the final millage rate the board adopts later is higher than the certified estimated rollback rate, the tax bill must include a statement that the adopted rate exceeds the estimated rollback rate and “will result in an increase in the amount of property tax that you will owe.”
Why it matters: the new statutory requirement compresses the calendar and forces taxing jurisdictions to provide an estimate before digest figures are certified; staff said that decision carries operational consequences (redesigning tax bills and potential taxpayer confusion) and could require additional customer‑service capacity in the tax commissioner’s office.
Key points from staff and the tax commissioner
- The estimated rollback rate must be submitted to the tax commissioner by March 1 to allow the assessor’s office to include it on assessment notices. The county’s adopted 2025 budget assumed a flat millage rate and projected digest growth of about 3 percent; the CFO said 8.87 is a conservative certification in the absence of certified reassessment values. - Tax Commissioner Denzel told the board that the main operational impact will be redesigning the tax bill to accommodate the new required language and the possibility of multiple statements on a single bill if different taxing jurisdictions adopt rates that exceed their estimates. - The tax commissioner and county staff warned of operational costs and potential increased calls from taxpayers seeking clarification; staff are coordinating with the tax assessor and the tax commissioner to meet mail and notice deadlines.
Board action
Vice Chairman Bob Ellis moved to certify 8.87 as the county’s estimated rollback rate. The motion passed 5–1.
What’s next
County staff said they will continue to set the final millage rate under the usual calendar once certified digest data are available; if the final adopted rate exceeds the statutory rollback rate when digest values are provided, state law still requires advertising and three public hearings before adoption. Staff emphasized the March 1 certification is a procedural requirement for inclusion on assessment notices under the new state law, not a binding final millage decision.
