The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners proposed to increase the maximum advertised property tax rate by 23.18% to meet the demands of the approved county budget, according to a press release from the county.
The 2024 rate was 4.3 mills. The proposed change would set the millage rate to a maximum of 5.25 mills, said Whitfield County Administrator Robert Sivick, but the board would still have the discretion to adopt a lower millage rate.
For a home in Whitfield County valued at $275,000, if the maximum advertised rate of 5.25 mills is adopted, the increase in property tax would be $88.92, Sivick said via email.
The increase would result in an additional $4.5 million in revenue for the county, Sivick said, “to pay for county operations with exception to fire service, which is funded through a separate revenue source.”
Three public hearings are scheduled, as required by Georgia law, for citizens to voice their opinions on the increase before the board votes. The hearings are at noon on Oct. 31, and noon and 6 p.m. on Nov. 7, on the fifth floor of the Wells Fargo Building, 201 South Hamilton St., Dalton, Georgia, according to the release.