Savannah‑Chatham school board tables vote on opting out of statewide homestead exemption

The Savannah‑Chatham County Board of Public Education on Monday voted to table a resolution that would have directed staff to opt the district out of a statewide homestead exemption authorized by House Bill 581 and file a certified resolution with the Georgia Secretary of State by March 1, 2025.

Board members said they lacked clear information about how HB 581 — and a related House bill (HB 92) then moving through the General Assembly — would interact with the county’s existing Stevens Day homestead exemption, and how indexation choices such as CPI or CPI‑U could affect school millage calculations.

The resolution presented to the board would have authorized the board president to file a certified copy of the enclosed resolution with the Georgia secretary of state no later than 03/01/2025. The staff report said the district had held three public informational hearings in accordance with OCGA 48‑5‑44.2, placed a required advertisement, and posted notices on the district website. The report also said the resolution had been reviewed by the board attorney and was supported…