FOCUS: County adopts same millage, which equals a tax increase

By Deborah Tuff

LAWRENCEVILLE  |  The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is considering keeping the general fund millage rate the same as last year, at 6.95 mills, and will hold three public hearings for residents to comment. 

The public hearings will be held in the auditorium of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville on the following dates:

  • Monday, July 11, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  • Monday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m. 

When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.

For 2022, Gwinnett County’s rollback millage rate is calculated at 6.088 mills. The 2022 millage rate that the Board of Commissioners is considering is 6.950, or 0.862 mills above the rollback millage rate. Therefore, state law requires commissioners to announce a property tax increase. Required notices for the millage rate adoption were published in the Gwinnett Daily Post, the county’s legal organ on July 3. 

The Board of Commissioners adopted the 2022 budget assuming the current millage rate, not the calculated rollback rate. The revenue raised from 2022 property taxes will fund County services and needs that are approved by the board.

Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson says: “We put a lot of thought, time and diligence into this proposal. The tax revenue generated will allow us to deliver the Gwinnett Standard of services while helping us maintain our roads, transit systems, senior services, libraries and other quality of life programs.”

Commissioners will also consider millage rates for the police, fire and emergency services, development and code enforcement, recreation and economic development funds.

In addition to the public hearings, commissioners are accepting online comments about the proposed 2022 millage rates. Residents can visit GwinnettCounty.com to access the form and provide feedback.

  • The comment period closes July 18 at 9 p.m. The millage rates will be adopted during the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 19 at 2 p.m. 
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