Atlanta voters in November will decide if homeowners should continue to get a break on school property taxes.
If approved Nov. 2, the measure would make permanent a now-temporary homestead exemption granted to eligible property owners. The tax break, which lessens the Atlanta Public Schools’ portion of the tax bill for some homeowners, will end Dec. 31 unless voters agree to extend it.
The school board on Saturday voted unanimously to place the proposal, which already received support from the Georgia General Assembly, on the ballot.
“We wanted to make sure that we continued to support our taxpayers here in the city and worked with the legislature this year to repeal that sunset date and make it permanent,” said board Chairman Jason Esteves, during a short meeting held Saturday for the sole purpose of weighing in on the measure.
If approved, eligible property owners would continue to receive a homestead exemption from school taxes in the amount of $50,000 of their home’s assessed value, while requiring them to pay taxes on at least $10,000 of the assessed value.
The tax break was initially given to homeowners a few years ago to provide temporary relief as rising Fulton County property values pushed tax bills higher.