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Tift County leaders review HB 581; Tifton mayor proposes committee to explore local floating homestead exemption
Summary
County and city officials in Tift County on Jan. 30 reviewed HB 581 — a 2024 Georgia law that allows a floating homestead exemption and authorizes a local sales tax for property tax relief — and discussed forming a joint committee to develop a local plan; no formal vote was taken.
TIFT COUNTY — County Manager Jim Carter briefed the Tift County Board of Commissioners and the cities of Omega, Tifton and TyTy on HB 581 during a joint meeting at the Tift County Public Safety Center on Jan. 30, 2025. Carter said HB 581, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly in its 2024 session, permits a ‘‘floating’’ homestead exemption tied to property values and allows local governments to create a dedicated local sales tax for property tax relief.
Carter provided printed handouts of his PowerPoint presentation and outlined the two principal tools HB 581 makes available: an exemption mechanism that can adjust with assessed values, and a narrowly dedicated sales-tax option to fund property-tax relief. Elected officials asked questions about implementation, scope and next steps; the discussion focused on study and coordination rather than immediate policy action.
Tifton Mayor Julie Smith proposed forming a committee of elected officials and staff from the county and the participating cities to craft a plan of action that would evaluate whether and how to use the options HB 581 permits at the local level. County Manager Carter said he would contact the local legislative delegation to determine whether a member would carry a local bill to enact a floating homestead exemption separate from the state’s homestead law, and he said he would work with county and city clerks to disseminate information once he had that feedback.
Chairman Tony McBrayer presided over the meeting. Representatives present included Tift County commissioners Greg Wood, Donnie Hester, Stan Stalnaker and Melissa Hughes; Omega Mayor Dickie Robinson and council members Cecile Gilliard and Charles White; Tifton Mayor Julie Smith and council members Josh Reynolds, MJ Hall and Michael Franks; and Ty Ty Mayor Keith Beasley. There was no motion or formal vote on implementation during the session. The meeting was closed with no immediate action taken.
The county manager’s next steps, as described at the meeting, are to contact the local delegation about sponsoring local legislation and to coordinate clerks in circulating any follow-up materials to the participating governments.
