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Commissioners concerned Fulton property assessment process still flawed
BY EVELYN ANDREWS
evelyn@reporternewsyayers.net
The property assessment pro
cess still may have some problems
despite the Fulton County Board of
Commissioners contributing addi
tional funds to the boards in charge.
Commissioner Lee Morris, who
represents Buckhead and San
dy Springs, said the problems with
property tax assessment process
have been “frustrating" for the
Board of Commissioners. Property
assessments were sent out later than
planned, and concerns remain over
their accuracy, he said.
Fulton’s property tax system has
long been a target of complaints,
but the latest round of public out
rage came in 2017 when many resi
dents received sharply increased ap
praisals after years of not keeping
up with market values.
Since then, the commissioners
have given additional funding and resources to the Board of Equalization and the
Board of Assessors, who control the property assessment process and review ap
peals to help the process move more smoothly and accurately, Morris said.
“We have very little power over the boards, but we’ve certainly funded them ad
equately,” Morris said.
The property assessments were planned to be sent out by April 19, but they
weren’t actually sent until June 18, Morris said. The county continues to have prob
lems with the software vendor used to generate the notices, he said.
“We clearly didn’t make that deadline, and that’s frustrating,” he said. “Time will
tell about accuracy.”
Commissioner Bob Ellis, who represents part of Sandy Springs, said he was con
cerned missing the date to mail the assessments would “push back tax and financial
planning for our cities and school systems.”
“We are already a month past where we told them we would be,” Ellis said.
Ellis is also concerned about the accuracy of exemptions, saying they may not
have all the exemptions passed by voters in 2018.
One exempts residents from paying taxes to Atlanta Public Schools on $50,000
of their property value, but the first $10,000 would remain taxable. The current ex
emption is $30,000.
Another created a new homestead exemption that caps annual property tax in
creases at 2.6% for the city of Atlanta portion of the tax bill.
A new Fulton County homestead exemption applies to seniors 65 and older and
provides a $50,000 exemption from property taxes. Another in Fulton caps increas
es in property assessments at 3% annually for the Fulton County School District
portion of the tax bill.
The Board of Equalization, which is made up of trained citizens who are select
ed and agree to serve, review appeals and homestead exemptions. Morris said many
times “poorer people are more inclined” to take on the position, and they can have a
“resentment for people live in the wealthy neighborhoods.”
“We continue to hear from people that they haven’t been treated fairly,” Morris
said.
The appeals process becomes a “toss up” on whether a citizen will win, he said.
To help this, the board has given extra funding to appeals staff to resolve appeals
with property owners without the Board of Equalization, Morris said.
The deadline to file appeals is Aug. 2. The homestead exemption filing deadline
for this year has already passed. For more information, visit fultonassessor.org.
Commissioner Lee Morris
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