Property Tax Assessment Freeze

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed House Bill 595, which would freeze the assessed value of your home for the DeKalb County Government's portion of your property tax bill. HB 595 placed a referendum on the November 7 ballot to ratify the property tax assessment freeze, and if that referendum passes, your assessment will be frozen at its current level. New homebuyers would have their assessments frozen at the purchase price of their homes. The November 7 ballot question can be found under the heading "DeKalb County Homestead Referendum," and the wording of the ballot question is as follows: Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption from DeKalb County ad valorem taxes for county purposes in an amount equal to the amount by which the current year assessed value of a homestead exceeds the base year assessed value of such homestead? The property tax assessment freeze was local legislation, and therefore needed a majority of the 19 representatives and 7 senators from DeKalb County in order to pass. It passed by the slimmest possible majority in both the House and Senate: 10 representatives and 4 senators supported it. I am proud to be one of the original co-sponsors of this bill, one of the 10 representatives who supported it, and one of three or four legislators who helped secure the votes needed to ensure final passage. The way the freeze works is by granting you a floating homestead exemption that would completely roll back the annual increase in the assessed value of your home. It applies only to residential property, not commercial, and only to your primary residence. Overwhelming numbers of my constituents have expressed an interest in the property tax assessment freeze. The growing amount of teardowns and infill construction in our neighborhoods has led to startling annual increases in property assessments. Your property assessment is based on the values of the surrounding properties.

Apply for this exemption.