Atlanta school board adopts property tax rate

The Atlanta school board set the millage rate at a Monday meeting. AJC FILE PHOTO/Alyssa Pointer

The Atlanta school board set the millage rate at a Monday meeting. AJC FILE PHOTO/Alyssa Pointer

Atlanta homeowners will see a slight tax increase after the school board approved the property tax rate.

The Atlanta Board of Education voted Monday to maintain the tax rate at the previous year’s level of 20.74 mills. The move is considered a 1.13% increase because the district didn’t roll back the rate down to 20.509 mills, the level that would be needed to offset growth from property reassessments.

The district previously reported that if it rolled back the rate, it would receive roughly $9 million less in taxes.

By maintaining the millage rate, homeowners will pay about $10 more in taxes this year for each $100,000 of value, said Lisa Bracken, APS chief financial officer.

Board Chairman Jason Esteves acknowledged the “pressure that taxpayers are feeling,” and said the district has worked in previous years to provide relief.

The APS administration suggested in July that the board roll back the tax rate, but the district ultimately took a more conservative approach as officials cited concerns about financial uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.