Chatham County expands low-income tax-relief program, raising income limit and allowing other exemptions
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Summary
After receiving 84 applications and paying roughly $35,000, county staff recommended changing eligibility rules to serve more households; board approved raising the AMI threshold and allowing applicants who receive other county exemptions to qualify.
Chatham County commissioners voted June 16 to expand eligibility for the county’s low-income tax-relief program, responding to early program data and staff recommendations.
Jason Smith, director of housing and community development, told the board the program began accepting applications in February 2025. "So far, we've received 84 applications. We've approved 76 of them," he said, and staff had paid out just under $35,000 of the $200,000 the board had set aside for the program.
Smith recommended two program changes to increase reach: raise the income threshold from 60% of area median income (AMI) to 80% AMI, and allow applicants who already receive another county tax relief or exemption to apply for the new program as a secondary relief, subject to limits in the county’s formula. Commissioners voted to approve those changes; staff said the intent is to spend a larger share of the current allocation before the July 1 funding reset.
Staff described initial outreach as extensive — press releases, late-tax notices, social service referrals and housing-organization outreach — and reported that application volumes surged immediately after the program launched and have slowed since.
Smith also explained administrative details: applicants must be current on their property taxes to be eligible and the county issues direct checks to approved applicants rather than adjusting the tax system. He said approvals typically returned the full $500 to most applicants; a minority received smaller amounts when the Chatham portion of their tax bill was less than $1,000 under the county’s 50% rule for partial refunds.
Commissioners asked about program continuity; staff said the $200,000 allocation is included as a recommended annual line item in the manager’s proposed budget and that the program will require yearly appropriation by the board.
The board instructed staff to proceed with the recommended eligibility changes and to broaden outreach during the next tax-billing cycle.