Oconee County posts digest growth; millage-rate hearings set for late July–August

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners on July 7 reviewed the county's 2026 tax digest and set required public hearings on recommended millage rates.

Chair (role: Chair) told the board the incorporated digest rose to $424,597,452 for 2026, up from just under $392,000,000 in 2025; about $19 million of that increase is real growth (new property or improvements), and incorporated exemptions increased by roughly $4 million during the same period. The chair said the unincorporated digest also increased and that about $176 million of that increase is real growth, though the meeting transcript included a garbled line for the total unincorporated digest and the exact total was not clearly recorded in the meeting text.

Under state law, the county must set a gross millage rate that is equal for incorporated and unincorporated property prior to adjustment for insurance-premium taxes. The chair presented recommended rates for 2026: an unincorporated millage rate of 4.124 and an incorporated rate of 1.54 (the incorporated rate is unchanged from 2025). The chair said the recommended rates would generate approximately $788,124 in additional property tax revenue in 2026 versus 2025 after required calculations.

The board scheduled three public hearings on the recommended millage rates: July 28, 2026 (immediately before the regular meeting), August 4, 2026, and August 25, 2026, with adoption to follow during the August 25 meeting. No millage rate was adopted at the July 7 meeting; the hearings will allow public comment before the board sets the final rate.

The board did not vote to adopt rates at the meeting; it will consider public comment at the scheduled hearings before any adoption.