Tucker, GA — The city of Tucker’s millage rate is slated to increase from 0.848 mills to 2.284 mills. The rate will increase by 1.5 mills due to the city taking over public works from DeKalb County.

“The City Council has tentatively adopted a 2023 millage rate which will require an increase in property taxes by 191.33 percent,” the notice of property tax increase states. “Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 0.784 mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $325,000 is approximately $195.00 and the proposed tax increase for non‐homestead property with a fair market value of $775,000 is approximately $465.00.”

The city will hold public hearings on the tax increase at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on June 12 and at 6:45 p.m. on June 26. The hearings will take place at Tucker City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Parkway, suite 350.

On May 22, the Tucker City Council began amending the city charter to raise the ad valorem millage rate cap from 1 to 3 mils.

This change was voted on by the public last November as part of the referendum authorizing the city to take over public works from DeKalb County. The city has already hired a director of public works and is gearing up to take over road and stormwater maintenance from the county in July.

The council voted unanimously to approve. However, because it is an alteration of the city charter, the change will require an additional hearing and approval. In addition, any specific changes to the millage rate will go through the normal approval process.

Here is the full press release from the city about the hearings:

The City of Tucker today announces its intention to increase the 2023 property taxes it will levy this year by 191.33 percent over the rollback millage rate.

Each year, the board of tax assessors is required to review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county. When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the board of tax assessors is required by law to re‐determine the value of such property and adjust the assessment This is called a reassessment.

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 not reassessments occurred.

The budget tentatively adopted by the City of Tucker requires a millage rate higher than the rollback millage rate; therefore, before the City of Tucker Council may finalize the tentative budget and set a final millage rate, Georgia law requires three public hearings to be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held at the City Hall, 1975 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 350, Tucker, GA on June 12, 2023, at 11:00am and 7:00pm and on June 26, 2023 at 6:45pm.