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Fulton County moves to adopt compensating property tax rate of 12.8¢ per $100 valuation
Summary
Under state limits tied to House Bill 4, the court recommended and moved to set the real-estate tax rate at the compensating rate (12.8¢ per $100), avoiding a public hearing; commissioners debated future revenue growth, recall thresholds and the need for longer-term fiscal planning.
Fulton County leaders reviewed property-tax options and moved to adopt the compensating real-estate tax rate of 12.8¢ per $100 valuation to comply with state limitations and avoid triggering a public hearing. The presiding official explained that House Bill 4 caps rate increases tied to revenue growth and that the compensating rate maintains revenue neutrality given reassessments.
Commissioners discussed the trade-offs of keeping the rate steady versus pursuing modest increases to avoid future shortfalls. One member urged a longer-term analysis of general-fund growth, revenue sources and future service demands before accepting the compensating rate as an ongoing policy. The court noted that anything producing revenue above the statutory 4% threshold would be subject to recall and that the compensating rate is commonly used to keep the rate steady while allowing revenues to float with reassessments.
The court signaled adoption of the 12.8¢ compensating real-estate rate, and staff was asked to provide further analysis of the county’s revenue trends before future rate decisions. No public hearing was required under the selected approach.
Next steps: staff to provide tax-revenue projections and analyses for presentation at a subsequent meeting.
