Keith Payne, speaking for the Liberty County assessor's office, briefed the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 16 about the offices calendar for the 2025 digest and how House Bill 581 changes assessment notices. Payne said the new law requires taxing entities to calculate and certify an estimated rollback rate earlier in the digest process so that the rollback appears on the assessment notice sent in May.

"When assessment notices are mailed in early May in accordance to OCGA 48-5-306, Liberty County property owners will notice a significant change," Payne said. He described that the prior practice of showing an estimated tax payment at the bottom of the notice will be replaced by an estimate of the rollback rate for each taxing authority.

Payne told commissioners the office will work with the tax commissioner and finance staff to produce a tentative rollback rate in March so notices can be issued on schedule. He emphasized that counties will likely use a conservative (lower) rollback rate initially because the final digest may not be complete by the certification date; a lower initial rollback can be increased later but cannot be overstated on notices.

Payne also reviewed other operational matters: the assessors office has completed Department of Revenue review and was found compliant, but the review recommended at least two additional field appraisers to meet workload standards under IAAO guidance. He encouraged property owners to "return" their property by April 1 (PT-50 forms) to update records or claim exemptions and said the office will step up public outreach to correct misinformation about appraisal changes.

Ending: Payne said the office will continue public education efforts, collaborate with the tax commissioner and finance department on the rollback calculation, and return to the board with supplemental information and outreach plans ahead of the May mailing.