Acworth keeps millage rate at 8.95 mills; board approves consent agenda including road abandonment and demolition permit

Mayor Thomas W. Allegood and the Acworth Board of Aldermen on July 16 placed the city’s 2026 millage rate on the consent agenda and approved it as part of a unanimous consent motion that also included a road-abandonment resolution and a demolition permit.

City Manager Albright told the board that the city is proposing to keep the millage rate at 8.95 mills and is not proposing an increase in the millage rate itself; he said state rules require the city to advertise a tax notice whenever total tax collections grow. “The millage rate is not being proposed to be increased in the City of Acworth,” Albright said, and he walked through examples showing how homestead and senior exemptions limit city property-tax increases for eligible homeowners.

Albright explained the difference between the proposed 8.95 mills and the city’s rollback rate (8.569 mills), and provided a sample calculation showing how exemptions and assessed value affect an individual homeowner’s city tax bill. He told residents the city’s fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30 and encouraged property owners to verify homestead exemptions with Cobb County.

Resident Ben Kazerski, speaking during the public-comment period, urged clearer outreach on required notices and said the combined ads had sent mixed messages: one line said there would be no millage increase while another said property tax revenues were increasing. “The postings were confusing,” Kazerski said, and he urged the city to use additional channels to explain what the notices mean.

A motion to approve consent agenda items A through M — which staff identified as including the millage ordinance (Ordinance 2026‑22 adopting an 8.95‑mill rate), Resolution RS 2026‑17 to abandon a portion of Ross Road, and an overlay approval to demolish the structure at 43966 Toccoa Drive — was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Brett North and seconded by Alderman Haas. The board recorded the vote as unanimous.

Albright said the required advertisement does not necessarily mean the city is raising the millage rate; rather, because total tax collections increased (from new growth, resales at higher values, or reassessments), state law triggers a notice requirement. He highlighted exemptions for homeowners (including a senior exemption for those 62 and older) and noted that rental and investment properties do not receive the homestead ceiling.

The board’s action approved the consent agenda items as presented; Albright and staff said the decisions will be implemented through the city’s administrative processes (permits and resolution documentation).