Gwinnett County residents will pay slightly lower property tax bills this year thanks to a tax cut approved by the Board of Commissioners Monday.
Gwinnet commissioners voted unanimously to allow a .23 mill levy for construction projects to expire, dropping Gwinnett’s property tax rate from 13.25 mills to 13.02 mills. The change will save the owner of a $200,000 home about $16 a year and the county will cede $4.8 million in annual revenue.
Commissioners said they owed it to the public to allow the levy to expire once the debt was repaid.
“We made a promise,” said Commissioner Shirley Lasseter. “I want everybody to know this county kept it at a very, very, very difficult time.”
The decision to decrease the property tax rate comes as Gwinnett and other governments are struggling to balance their budgets as property tax revenue declines amid a continuing real estate slump. To make up for lost revenue, some governments have raised tax rates.
Cobb County recently raised its property tax rate 16 percent. DeKalb County raised rates by 26 percent. And Clayton County officials approved a 34 percent tax hike.
Two years ago Gwinnett officials raised property tax rates by 21 percent. The move prompted a public backlash, but it also was cited by credit rating agencies that continue to give Gwinnett top ratings as a difference maker.
That tax increase is also a reason commissioners can discontinue the levy Gwinnett voters approved in 1986 to pay for libraries and road construction. Gwinnett used part of the proceeds from the 2009 property tax increase to pay off that debt.
Commissioners previously considered the keeping the tax rate the same and using the expiring .23 mill levy to cover operating costs. Then they considered using it to repay the debt from a jail expansion.
On Monday they changed their minds again, voting to allow the .23 mill levy to expire.
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