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Tax commissioner urges Ware County to consider opting out of proposed state property‑value freeze
Summary
Tax Commissioner Roger Collins told the board that two state ballot measures—HB 808 (larger personal property exemption) and HB 581 (3% cap on home value increases)—are likely to pass and recommended Ware County consider an opt‑out because the county’s current freezes are more generous; staff said the county cannot finalize the digest until valuation disputes fall below 8%.
Tax Commissioner Roger Collins updated the Ware County commissioners on two pending state measures that will appear on the November ballot.
Collins said HB 808 would increase the statewide ad valorem exemption for personal property from $7,500 to $20,000 and that HB 581 would impose a 3% cap on the amount a home’s value can increase. He told commissioners that Ware County’s existing homestead freezes cap taxable value in ways he described as “better” than the state proposal and that, in his professional opinion, the county should consider opting out of the state freeze if HB 581 passes. Collins said the Department of Revenue told him Ware County’s homestead exemption is stronger than HB 581’s protections.
Collins described the county’s ongoing assessment appeal workload: the tax assessors’ office has completed more than 600 appeals and has roughly 1,500 remaining; he said disputed-value totals must fall to 8% before the digest can be finalized and the commission is presented a certified millage. He estimated the FY2025 millage near 11.367 mills absent a referendum; if the county pursued a rollback funded by a 0.5%–1% sales tax referendum, the effective millage could be nearer 7.306 mills but that would require voter approval and timing would push real effects into 2027.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about timing and mechanics; Collins said the earliest a county referendum could appear would be March or November 2025 and explained that county staff would need to track multiple values if the state freeze is implemented.
