Decatur, GA — Voters in the city of Decatur will see homestead tax exemption referendums on the ballot in November in addition to city commission and school board candidates.

The Georgia General Assembly passed legislation updating the exemptions for city and school taxes this spring, and now it’s up to voters to approve or reject the measures.

To see the sample ballot including the municipal elections, click here. Early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 16, and Election Day is Nov. 7. Decatur’s voters will see referendum questions related to DeKalb County’s equalized homestead option sales tax, special purpose local option sales tax, and homestead exemptions as well. 

For school taxes, Senate Bill 288 updated the senior homestead tax exemption for City Schools of Decatur for an additional five-year period. No changes were made to the S-6 exemption, which provides a reduction of $200,000 of assessed home value ($400,000 appraised value) for homeowners age 70 and older without an income cap.

For the S-5 exemption, the dollar amount of the household adjusted income for seniors ages 65-69 increased from $53,000 to $62,000. The legislation maintained the exemption of $200,000 of assessed home value ($400,000 appraised value).

The city of Decatur also increased parts of the general homestead exemptions for city taxes and created an exemption for owner-occupied homes on land managed through the Decatur Land Trust.

Here are the exemptions for city taxes that will be on the ballot:

– Increase the General Homestead Exemption (GH-1) for all residential owner-occupied properties from $25,000 to $40,000.

– Increase the General Homestead Exemption (GH-2) for residential owner-occupied properties for persons 65 years of age or older from $10,000 to $15,000.

– Increase the General Homestead Exemption (GH-3) for residential owner-occupied properties for persons 62 years of age or older whose Georgia net taxable household income does not exceed $50,000 from $15,000 to $25,000 and adjust the household income limit from $50,000 to $60,000.

– Create a Community Land Trust Homestead Exemption (LT-1) in the amount of $40,000 for owner-occupied properties on land managed by a nonprofit whose primary mission is affordable housing, such as the Decatur Land Trust.

The annual cost of the proposed homestead exemptions is estimated to be approximately $1.05 million.

For more information about the referendums, click here.

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