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Ware County reviews TREES Act resolution to provide timber disaster tax relief
Summary
The board discussed Resolution 2025-13, the TREES Act, which would allow temporary tax relief for landowners who harvested timber after Hurricane Helene; the Tax Commissioner recommended a millage rollback and will process applications if the resolution is passed at the regular meeting.
The Ware County Board of Commissioners reviewed Resolution 2025-13 on July 14, which would designate the county Tax Commissioner as the point of contact for TREES Act applications and authorize processing of refunds for eligible timber harvests tied to Hurricane Helene.
Tax Commissioner Roger Collins explained the TREES Act is intended to offset timber losses from Hurricane Helene and applies only to landowners who cut timber beginning Sept. 28, 2024 through 2025. Collins said the county’s share would be based on an average of timber tax receipts for 2021–2023 and that funds would be received after Feb. 15, 2026 once the fourth-quarter 2025 timber tax is reported. He warned that "if he is suspicious of an application, Georgia Forestry will audit the timber stand." County Manager James Shubert asked Collins to explain the program to the commission; the resolution would formally authorize the Tax Commissioner to accept certification forms and supporting documents.
The board did not take final action at the work session; staff added the resolution to the regular meeting agenda for formal consideration. No vote or motion to adopt was recorded at the work session.
