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Oconee County adopts FY2026 general fund budget, holds county millage at 4.184 mills
Summary
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners adopted a FY2026 general fund budget of $45,704,250 and set the county millage rate at 4.184 mills; the county also expanded several homestead exemptions and reported a large rise in taxable exemptions tied to House Bill 581.
Oconee County Board of Commissioners on June 3 adopted the FY2026 general fund budget of $45,704,250 and set the county millage rate at 4.184 mills for unincorporated areas and 5.154 mills for incorporated areas, county officials said.
The budget represents roughly a $4.9 million increase from FY2025 (about $5.0 million rounded). County staff said $3.7 million of that increase will fund the sheriff’s office, including $2.5 million directed to place school resource officers in schools; roughly $1.3 million was allocated across other constitutional officers and board functions.
County officials said total FY2026 funding across all funds is $83,700,551. The commissioners also highlighted new county-level property tax exemptions adopted for 2025: the general homestead exemption was raised from $2,000 to $5,000; homeowners 65 and older receive an assessment freeze; and homeowners 75 and older receive an additional $10,000 homestead exemption.
A county official said the state-level House Bill 581’s “floating homestead exemption” also took effect this year, which the official described as limiting increases in taxable assessed value to the rate of inflation as determined by the revenue department. Based on county staff calculations, that change contributed to an approximately $287 million increase in exemptions on the 2025 tax‑year digest, the official told attendees.
“This was also the first year of our new county level exemptions,” the county official said during the town hall. The official added the county has now recorded its fifth year of millage reduction and the fourth consecutive year of a full millage rollback.
County staff framed the budget decisions as a continued emphasis on public safety and core services while preserving the recent rollback in millage rates. The board did not release a detailed vote tally in the town‑hall remarks; the action and rate setting were announced by county staff at the meeting.
Looking ahead, county leaders said they will continue to present budget materials and project-level details to the board for implementation and to inform affected taxpayers.
