Brace yourself, Gwinnett: Property tax bills are in the mail

Dearest Gwinnett homeowner: You should be getting your property tax bill any day now.

Kindly pay it by mid-October.

Gwinnett County announced Wednesday that property tax bills are being mailed this week and must be paid in full by Oct. 15. Homeowners can make payments via the following methods:

• By visiting gwinnetttaxcommissioner.com;
• By mailing a check to P.O. Box 372, Lawrenceville, Ga., 30046;
• By leaving a check in the drop box at any Gwinnett tag office location;
• or by paying in-person at the tax commissioner's office (cash, check, money order, credit cards and debit cards accepted).

Partial payments are accepted as long as the bill is fully paid by the due date.

About 63 percent of the county's residential properties saw a change in value on this year's assessments, chief appraiser Stewart Oliver said in April. The average change in those properties was an increase of about 12 percent.

On top of that, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted last month to raise the millage rate to 13.51 mills, an increase of about 0.334 mills over 2016's rate. Officials have estimated that increase would mean about $21 more on the tax bill of a resident who owns a $200,000 home.

The county's Board of Education opted to hold its own millage rate steady at 21.85 mills, meaning only homeowners whose properties have increased in value will pay more school taxes than in 2016.

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The AJC's Tyler Estep keeps you updated on the latest happenings in Gwinnett County government and politics. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

• Gwinnett commissioner appeals ruling in suit challenging 'racist pig' ethics board
• Area property owners support 'bold' criticism of Gwinnett Place Mall 
• Gwinnett is rebranding itself – and county leaders want your input

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