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Committee passes bill to pay property-tax equivalents plus 30% for certain counties hit by floods
Summary
Senate Bill 6007, aimed at helping property owners in counties included in the FEMA disaster declaration, passed the committee after sponsor testimony and two amendments; benefits will equal 2024 tax levied plus 30% and require local assessor verification.
The State and Local Government Committee passed Senate Bill 6007 to provide financial assistance to owners of taxable property in several counties damaged by recent storms and flooding.
Chairman Crow, sponsor of the bill, said the measure is intended to help owners of taxable property—not state-assessed property—whose land and improvements were damaged by the hurricane. Mayor Joe Grandy of Washington County, who testified to the committee, described the extent of local damage: "A 119 homes were completely washed away, with everything in their homes," Grandy said, and reported that nearly 100 more homes were damaged. He also told the committee the assessed value of land lost in one area was about $1,505,000.
Under the bill as explained by the sponsor, payments to eligible property owners would equal the amount of property tax levied in 2024 plus 30 percent. Eligibility requires that the property be in a county included in the FEMA disaster declaration, that the local property assessor verify by Jan. 28, 2025 that the property was damaged by Hurricane Helene, and that required documentation be submitted to the comptroller by June 30, 2025. The sponsor clarified that recipients would still be required to pay property taxes but that the assistance is intended to help them do so.
The committee adopted two amendments. The first amendment (tracking 2883) makes the assistance one-time and limits payment to one recipient per property, awarding assistance to the first requester for a property. The second amendment (tracking 2558) updates mutual-aid language to allow the chief executive officer of a "governmental utility system" to approve sending personnel and equipment across boundaries in an emergency; the amendment was read into the record by the committee's legal counsel and adopted by voice vote.
The chair called the roll following debate; the committee recorded nine ayes and no nos. The committee chair announced, "you have 9 ayes," and ordered the bill to the finance committee. Sponsors and members highlighted the difficulty of long-term recovery and urged expedited assistance for affected families.
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 6007 — Moved by Senator Yarbrough; seconded by Senator Wally. Committee vote: 9 ayes, 0 no. Outcome: approved and sent to finance.
