Residents say recent reassessments are pricing homeowners out as Cobb keeps millage rate flat

Cobb County held a public millage hearing July 21 in which county finance staff said the commission is proposing to keep its millage rates flat while the county’s overall property tax digest grew about 5.06% in 2026.

Buddy Tazar, Cobb County’s chief financial officer, told the board the advertised millage rate is 20.26 mills and explained the floating homestead exemption using a specific example of a home purchased in 2018 for $205,090 and reassessed in 2024 at about $459,000. He said the float locks the general fund assessment for qualifying homeowners to the value at purchase and that other taxing portions of the bill do not float. “The overall net digest in 2026 grew 5.06%,” Tazar said during the presentation.

But several residents said keeping the millage flat does not protect homeowners who were recently reassessed. “Last year, my Cobb County property taxes doubled,” said Rebecca Foster, a resident who told commissioners an April escrow analysis increased her mortgage more than $300 a month. Foster urged “transparency, consistency, and fairness in the assessment process,” and said raising the millage this year would compound recent increases.

Other speakers described households saddled by accelerating assessments. Steve Hale, who said he has lived in his 1973 house since 1990, told commissioners his property tax has ‘‘tripled in cost’’ over several years and described being financially strained as he nears retirement. Lee Grama asked the county to consider relief for homeowners who don’t qualify for the floating homestead exemption and suggested temporarily taxing certain homes on their original purchase price until the local economy stabilizes.

County officials repeatedly pointed residents to the tax commissioner’s website for details and explained the homestead and 62-and-over school exemptions are applied through that office. Tazar encouraged new homeowners to file the floating homestead exemption promptly and said questions about the legal requirements for assessments should be directed to the tax assessor’s office, which must follow state rules. Chairwoman Cuban also reminded residents that the county cannot arbitrarily undervalue property and that there is an appeals process.

Why it matters: Even without a change in the millage rate, rising assessed values and uncertain application of state homeowner relief credits can raise bills for many families. Commissioners will hear a final public hearing and consider adoption of the budget and millage at their July 28 regular meeting.

What’s next: The board has scheduled a final public hearing and will consider budget and millage adoption at its July 28 meeting.