Peachtree City to Hold 3 Public Hearings Before Voting on Property Tax Increase

Peachtree City homeowners have three chances to speak up before the city council locks in a property tax increase — and the clock is already running. The council has announced it intends to set a 2026 millage rate 3.05 percent above the rollback rate, a move that Georgia law requires to be aired in public hearings before it can take effect.

The nominal millage rate would hold steady at 5.84 mills — the same figure residents have seen on recent tax bills. Because property values across Fayette County have risen and assessors have adjusted them upward, the rollback rate — the rate that would collect the same total revenue as last year — has fallen below the current rate. Keeping the rate at 5.84 mills sits above that rollback threshold, which is why Georgia law classifies this as a tax increase and mandates the public hearing process.

The increase applies to both homestead and non-homestead properties.

Here is how the mechanics work: each year, the board of tax assessors must review assessed values countywide. When recent sales show that market values have risen, assessors are required by law to adjust assessments upward — a process called reassessment. Georgia law then requires the rollback millage rate to be calculated so that reassessments alone do not automatically generate more revenue for local governments. If a city's adopted budget requires more money than the rollback rate would produce, the difference must be publicly disclosed and debated before the council can finalize the rate.

Three hearings are scheduled at Peachtree City Hall, 151 Willowbend Road. The first two fall on Thursday, October 8 — one at 9:30 a.m. and one at 5:15 p.m. — offering options for both daytime and after-work attendees. The third hearing is set for Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. Tentative adoption of the final millage rate is scheduled to follow the third hearing.

The hearings come as the city is also working through its broader budget picture. A separate public hearing held in July addressed a proposed $60,779,000 budget for 2027 — described by Mayor Kim Leonard as a slight increase from the prior year — with adoption expected August 20.

For residents who want to understand why the budget requires a rate above rollback, the public hearings are the formal venue — and, under Georgia law, the city cannot skip them.

Why it matters — Peachtree City property owners will pay higher city taxes under the proposed rate even though the millage number hasn't changed — and the three public hearings before October 21 are residents' only formal opportunity to push back before the council votes.

Reported by fayette-news.net, bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com, thecitizen.com, citizenportal.ai