Alpharetta and Milton property owners will not see an additional county tax bill beyond those already issued. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday, Oct. 7, to keep the General Fund millage rate at 8.87 mills for the fifth consecutive year.
Because the rate is unchanged, no new bills will go out beyond the temporary tax bills already mailed with a Thursday, Oct. 15, due date, according to the county.
"Now is not the time for a tax increase," Chair Robb Pitts said. "Maintaining the current tax rate avoids placing a painful burden on the most vulnerable members of our community while fully funding the services we all enjoy and rely upon."
The commission held three public hearings before setting the rate, as required by Georgia law.
Rate down 16% from 2015 to 2022
The county's property tax rate fell from 10.5 mills in 2015 to 8.87 mills in 2022, a net decrease of 16%. It has held at that level since. One mill equals $1 per $1,000 of a home's taxable value, which under Georgia law is 40% of the property's assessed value.
Property taxes are the county's primary revenue source. They fund services including partnerships with Grady Health System and Morehouse School of Medicine, behavioral health programs, senior services, justice and public safety, elections, libraries and animal control.
Tax dollars funded $25 million Alpharetta health center
One local example of where those dollars go: the $25 million Health & Human Services North facility at 4700 North Point Parkway in Alpharetta. The county purchased the former Comcast call center and its 24-acre campus in 2019, began renovations in 2024 and held a ribbon-cutting April 16. The center houses the Board of Health, behavioral health and developmental disabilities services, a senior center and adult day health program, and Recovery Treatment Court services.
The county also offers property tax relief, including two floating homestead exemptions and exemptions for seniors.
School board eyes separate increase
The flat county rate stands in contrast to a proposed Fulton County Schools millage increase. The Board of Education has tentatively adopted a rate of 18.08 mills, up from 17.08 mills. It would be the school district's first increase in seven years, as Appen Media reported.
That proposal is not final. Public hearings are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the North Learning Center, 450 Northridge Parkway in Sandy Springs, at noon and 6 p.m., according to Hoodline. A third hearing is set for Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. at the South Learning Center, 4025 Flat Shoals Road in Union City. The Board of Education is expected to vote only after all three hearings.
Residents who want to weigh in on the school millage can attend those hearings. The county's Thursday, Oct. 15, tax bill deadline applies to bills already in hand.
