9/6: 2022 Property Assessment Update

Board of Assessors Reverses Property Reassessments

The Whitfield County Board of Assessors voted on Tuesday to set aside changes to the tax digest and return real properties to their assessed values from 2021. In a letter to property owners that will be released later this week, the Board of Assessors states that the move is being made to give local leaders more time to find ways to lessen the impact of property value increases. The Board also warned residents that the move is temporary, and they expect value increases when properties are reassessed in the near future.

The Board voted 3-0 to return to the assessments in the 2021 tax digest.

After news of the 2022 reassessment went out, local leaders began to evaluate the impact of the higher property tax digest on local residents. Elected officials and appointed staff from city and county governments then worked together with the Board of Assessors to determine what relief was possible. The Board of Assessors agreed that “it’s appropriate and imperative to take action to lessen the impact of … dramatic increases in cost of living” as they stated in the taxpayer letter. That led to Tuesday’s meeting and vote. The Assessors Office will mail amended 2022 real property assessment notices in the coming weeks.

The Board of Assessors expects that there will be “significant” increases in property values in the near future. In their letter to taxpayers, the Board says that in the coming months that the elected officials and professional staff of the county and city governments in Whitfield County will be working with consultants and state leaders to “quickly and effectively identify and employ the most successful solutions for limiting the impact on real property tax owners in the future.”