Fulton County homeowners could be looking at dauntingly higher property tax bills, come next tax season.
The county’s board of assessors has announced that Fulton residents will see a 25 percent median increase in this year’s home appraisals, according to 11Alive.
Atlantans will feel a wince-worthy median increase of 33 percent. In fast-developing neighborhoods—especially those near the Beltline, such as Old Fourth Ward—the assessment increases and subsequent property tax spikes will be even worse.
In 2017, Fulton County, faced with homeowners’ complaints of drastic assessment increases, decided to keep property assessments the same as the year prior. The idea, called a “tax freeze,” came from John Eaves, the former chairman of the Fulton County Commission and an ex-mayoral candidate.
However, Fulton officials can’t pull the same move again this year, as the law dictates tax assessments must remain close to market value.
“Be prepared for your 2018 tax bill,” warned state Rep. Beth Beskin, R-Atlanta, in an interview with 11Alive.
Some Fulton homeowners have claimed their properties were wrongly assessed in previous years, saddling them with exorbitant tax bills.
Due to the outcry, the board of assessors agreed Thursday to investigate more than 80,000 properties that might have been wrongly appraised.
Today, Fulton’s board of assessors is expected to sign off on this year’s assessments, which will be in mailboxes late May.