Peachtree City town hall explains HB 581’s homestead cap and countywide sales‑tax option ahead of March opt‑out deadline

Peachtree City officials held a town hall to explain House Bill 581 and to gather residents’ questions on how the measure would affect local property taxes and services.

Mayor Kim Leonard opened the session by telling residents the meeting’s purpose: “Our goal tonight is to discuss and review a new law, House Bill 581, that, as it turns out, will be very impactful on our property taxes.” She and City Manager Justin Strickland said the meeting was informational and that council would not vote tonight.

Justin Strickland, the city manager, summarized the bill’s two central features. First, HB 581 creates a statewide floating homestead exemption that limits the annual increase in taxable value for an owner‑occupied homestead to the rate of inflation — typically the Consumer Price Index — rather than the full change in fair market value. “Basically if we opt into this, your rate for 2025 … based on the rate of inflation … your value cannot go higher than that,” Strickland said. He added that the exemption resets when a home is sold and…