Athens homeowners would see a considerable bump on their property tax bills if the commission approves Mayor Kelly Girtz’s proposed fiscal 2024 budget as-is.
The tax rate would remain the same at 13.1 mills ($13.10 per $1,000 of assessed value), but with the tax digest increasing by 15% due to new development and rising property values, many if not most property owners would likely see a higher tax bill this fall. Taxes would rise $166 on an owner-occupied home assessed at $300,000—close to the median home price in Athens. That does not include the separate school tax, which Clarke County School District officials have proposed raising from 18.8 mills to the legal maximum of 20.
At $185 million, the county operating budget would be $18 million higher than last year. The total budget—including capital costs, funding for outside agencies and enterprise funds, which pay for themselves through fees—would total $336 million, up $47 million from the current year.
New spending Girtz proposed includes $2.1 million for medical services at the county jail; $2.5 million for ACC employees’ health insurance and retirement benefits; $2.9 million in raises for ACC employees; $300,000 to fill a backlog of requests for neighborhood traffic management; $200,000 to hire three new firefighters/emergency medical technicians to staff ladder trucks; $148,000 to hire three EMS captains mid-year; $100,000 for software allowing police to solve crimes by analyzing video; $150,000 for a community energy fund; $75,000 to replace ACC’s gas-powered leaf blowers with battery-powered; $120,000 to fund downtown events; $570,000 for competitive grants for community partner agencies; $200,000 to pave unpaved roads and $200,000 for safer railroad crossings.
Compared to other cities, the total property tax rate in Athens is higher than Watkinsville but lower than Jefferson, Augusta, Columbus and Macon, according to the ACC Finance Department.
Once the budget is presented, commissioners will have a chance to make changes before approving it. ACC will have three state-mandated public hearings on the property tax rate: 5:30 p.m. May 11 at the Dougherty Street government building, 6 p.m. May 16 at City Hall and 6 p.m. June 6 at the City Hall, though by the last date the budget is likely to be all but settled.
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