Whitfield County residents should get a look at the county’s 2024 budget proposal soon, according to Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen.
“We will post the draft budget (to the county website) soon,” he said.
“The earliest for a hearing would be Dec. 11 with a vote the following week,” he said. “I am hopeful to meet those dates as we are getting close.”
Jensen said the county expects to collect $20,350,546 in 2024 property tax revenue.
“This assumes no millage rate increase,” he said. “This is $1.217 million less in collections than the budget for 2023. The senior tax exemption is likely close to $1.9 million but we are assuming new taxes from all the construction with multifamily and new homes will reduce that to ($1.217 million).”
In November, county voters approved two homestead exemptions for senior citizens. One measure grants Whitfield County residents 65 and older and whose total household income does not exceed $40,000 a homestead exemption of $150,000 of the assessed value of their homestead for county taxes. The second measure granted Whitfield County homeowners 70 and older a homestead exemption of $250,000 of the assessed property value of their homestead for county taxes regardless of their income. They will take effect next year.
Jensen noted that in 2019 the county collected $24.1 million in property taxes.
“This large reduction is due to multiple reductions in the millage rate that were far greater than the standard rollback rate plus the new exemptions for next year. We will use other savings, better LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) revenues and this year’s surplus to make up the difference,” he said.
LOST is a 1% tax on most goods sold in the county that is used to fund government operations.
There are some 900 housing units currently under construction in Whitfield County, with most expected to be available in 2024.
The county’s 2023 budget is $53 million, up from $49 million in 2022.