August 18, 2020
Johns Creek City Council voted to adopt millage rates for the 2020 tax year. The vote by City Council set the millage rate at 3.986 per $1,000 of net assessed value and a parks bond millage rate at $0.411 per $1,000 of net assessed value.
The 2020 millage rate overview presented by Finance Director Ronnie Campbell outlined select portions of the city’s revenues (such as Local Option Sales Tax) which have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Rather than benefitting from a surplus in sales tax, which enabled the City Council to cut the millage rate last year, the City is forecasting an almost $2 million decline in LOST for 2020 and cannot cut property taxes again without decreasing service levels,” said Campbell.
The millage rate of 3.986 per $1,000 of assessed valuation is an increase of 0.464 mills. The proposed annual increase for a home with a fair market value of $300,000 is approximately $53 and the proposed annual increase for a non-homestead property would be $56.
The adopted rate is lower than both the overall average 2019 millage rate for all the cities in Fulton County (8.641 in 2019) and lower than the average of the four other large cities in northern Fulton County (4.746 average in 2019 for Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, and Sandy Springs).
“At 3.986 we remain significantly below our historic rate of 4.614, which we maintained from incorporation through 2015, and we continue to maintain the lowest rate in the county,” said Mayor Mike Bodker. “The widespread impact of COVID has negatively affected the residents, business owners, and the city. With a loss in revenue in the millions and more than $200,000 in unforeseen COVID-related expenses, and even with painstaking cost eliminations within existing programs, a revenue-neutral budget without a millage rate adjustment would have been unmanageable.”
At the new rate, the total tax levy from the 3.986 millage rate will generate approximately $17.6 million in property taxes, representing an estimated $100K less than the originally anticipated $17.7 million. Property taxes constitute approximately 28 percent of the city’s budgeted revenues and the city’s proposed FY2021 Budget factors in the adopted millage rate of 3.986.
In accordance with Georgia law, public hearings were held to provide the public with an opportunity to provide comment on the subject. Adoption of the final millage rate for 2020 took place on Monday, August 17, 2020 at a special called City Council Meeting. All residents were invited to the three public hearings on the tax increase and were also invited to e-mail any comments prior to the adoption by City Council.
Fulton County is calculating final tax bills to include the newly adopted 2020 millage rate and the park bond rate. Fulton County will distribute the final 2020 tax bills to Johns Creek homeowners in September. For questions about 2020 property tax bills, homeowners should contact the Fulton County Tax Commissioner’s office at
404-613-6100 or visit
www.fultoncountytaxes.org