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Commissioners review proposal to check business-license applicants for unpaid property taxes
Summary
Staff proposed amending Chapter 50 to allow county staff to confirm business-license applicants are current on personal and real-property taxes; tax office staff said the change would streamline renewals and help capture personal-property filings that affect the county digest.
County staff presented a proposed text amendment to Chapter 50 that would broaden the county's review of business-license applicants to confirm they are not delinquent on personal or real property taxes. The change was described as expanding an existing check (previously applied to convenience stores with beer and wine licenses) to all businesses at license renewal, with the goal of streamlining administration and ensuring the assessor's records capture personal property where required.
A tax-office representative who brought the issue forward told commissioners the change would be a simple process: when applicants apply for or renew a business license, staff would check whether they have an account and any outstanding taxes, helping ensure consistent filings. Staff also noted the state had raised a personal-property filing threshold from $7,500 to $20,000, and explained that even when property is below that threshold owners often still must file personal-property information that flows back into the gross digest. Commissioners were told the county could use SPLOST or capital funds if implementation required spending; staff said they could draft the ordinance amendment and a form to streamline renewals.
