DECATUR, Ga. – DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has presented his proposed fiscal year 2019 midyear budget to the DeKalb Board of Commissioners. The proposal includes a balanced budget, millage rate rollback and property tax relief.
“DeKalb’s $1.2 billion fiscal year 2019 midyear budget prioritizes fiscal integrity and accountability,” said CEO Thurmond. “The county is committed to delivering high-quality services while providing substantial property tax reductions for the second consecutive year.”
CEO Thurmond is proposing to roll back the Combined Countywide Operational rate, which was 10.364 mills in fiscal year 2018 to 9.952 mills in fiscal year 2019, reducing the rate by 0.412 mills.
The projected value of the millage rate rollback is $12 million, which will provide a property tax reduction of $41.20 on properties valued at $250,000. The benchmark millage rate for unincorporated DeKalb will remain at 20.81 mills.
In addition to the millage rates rollback, DeKalb homeowners will also benefit from $119 million in property tax relief generated by the Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax Credit (EHOST). The tax reduction is the result of the passage of two measures in November 2017: Equalized Homestead Option Sales Tax (EHOST) and the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
DeKalb is the only county in Georgia with an EHOST, which is 100 percent dedicated to homeowner tax relief. In fiscal year 2019, the EHOST property tax relief measure will deliver an average tax cut of $889 to residents owning a home valued at $250,000.
Combined, these two efforts will generate $131 million in property tax relief for DeKalb County property owners.
All citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax decrease to be held at the Manuel J. Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr., Decatur, GA 30030, on June 25, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and on July 9, at 10 a.m.
A final vote on the budget proposal by the Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9.
1300 Commerce Drive Decatur, GA 30030
