Fulton Property Taxes: Leaders Ask Assessors To Rescind 2017 Notices

ATLANTA, GA — In response to the calls made by two Fulton County commissioners to rescind the 2017 tax assessments mailed to property owners late last week, the Board of Assessors will hold a called meeting to consider the topic.

The assessors will meet at noon Thursday to discuss the 2017 assessments, which have drawn the ire of scores of owners experiencing sticker shock at the spike in valuation of their properties. Fulton County's government publicized the meeting on its Facebook page.

Commission Chairman John Eaves and Vice Chairman Bob Ellis on Tuesday held a press conference to call on the Board of Assessors to rescind the 2017 property tax assessments that were delivered to residential and commercial mailboxes in May.

Fulton County mailed assessments to roughly 319,000 residential and 28,000 commercial parcels in the county. It didn't take long for the complaints to reach county leaders, and Eaves said he and his colleagues have gotten a "variety of complaints and concerns that have been shared to us" over the past several days.

An initial analysis shows there's been a "spike," an overall 13 percent increase, in values across the county, Ellis states. However, a small portion of property owners — about 6 percent — experienced a whopping 50 percent jump in values. Fifty percent of property owners who received notices saw a 20 percent spike in their values, Eaves added.

The commission chairman said he's been in areas across the county, including the Sherwood Forest on the southern end of Buckhead, Candler Park and southwest Atlanta in the Cascade Heights area, and the complaints have beem uniform in terms of the increase in assessments.

"I believe the most fair approach to mitigate these concerns falls at the feet of the Board of Assessors, who oversee and provide the governance of the Tax Assessor's Office," he said. "Both Vice Chair Ellis and I are requesting that the Board of Assessors immediately rescind the tax assessment notices and conduct a 30-day review of their processes (and) their methodologies for consideration of new notices going out in the near future that are fair and reasonable for our constituents."

Ellis notes that if it weren't just a valuation issue, both he and Eaves would not be making this request. Over the past several days, he has fielded "countless calls and emails and spent a lot of early-morning hours looking at the specific things that the citizens and taxpayers of Fulton County have brought to my attention."

These issues pertain to the accuracy and "credibility" of assessments. For example, Ellis said he's seen properties that should have been frozen have instead been unfrozen; neighborhoods that have seen dramatic increases in values, yet communities adjacent to those neighborhoods have not experienced the same hike; and land values not bearing correlation of what's going on in the area.

These inconsistencies, Ellis added, raise questions about the level of review and the methodology behind the process. Additionally, with the number of property owners experiencing valuations ranging from a 20 to 50 percent spike, the county will most likely see so many appeals that the county could end up subjected to a court-ordered process "that's not going to serve any of us well," Ellis stated.

"We certainly, in terms of the citizens that we represent and all of the Fulton County taxpayers, feel like this is our obligation and the right thing to do, to ask the Board of Assessors to go back, look at all of the assessments and ensure their accuracy," Ellis said. "We think the credibility piece is extremely important, we think transparency is extremely important. We place great emphasis on that in terms of what we've been trying to do within the scope of Fulton County government. And we feel like right now, what is before the citizens does not present that. It is not a reflection of what we represent and what we are trying to do four our citizens."

On Thursday, June 8, Ellis will host a town hall meeting to allow residents to ask questions about the process at 6:30 p.m. at the Fulton County Water Resources Operations Center at 11575 Maxwell Road in Alpharetta. County Commissioner Liz Hausmann will also host a meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14 at the Johns Creek Environmental Campus at 8100 Holcomb Bridge Road.

Fulton County's Chief Tax Appraiser Dwight Robinson will be on hand during both meetings to answer questions about the process, provide insight on why some areas saw large increases and how to contest the assessment of one's property.

State Senator John Albers will also a special hearing for the Senate's State & Local Government Operations Committee to address the assessments at 4 p.m. June 19 at Roswell City Hall, which is at 38 Hill St.

Fulton County Commissioner Lee Morris is also planning a town hall meeting on the 2017 property tax assessments topic. Morris's meeting is set for 7 p.m. June 19 at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, which is located at 4393 Garmon Road in Atlanta.

Property owners who believe their assessments are inaccurate are strongly encouraged to file an appeal by July 10. This resolution may take time due to the number of appeals the county expects to receive, and while the issue is being resolved, property owners should pay the temporary tax bill to avoid penalties and fees, Eaves previously said.

Another tip: Property owners are asked to consider filing for a homestead exemption. These exemptions are based on certain criteria and qualifications, and there are annual deadlines one has to meet in order to receive the exemptions. To view a complete list of exemptions offered to Fulton County taxpayers go to www.fultonassessor.org.

Property owners who disagree with the current year value on their assessment notice have a 45-day appeal window, which ends July 10. Appeals may be submitted online, in person or by mail. For more information, call 404-612-6440 or visit www.fultonassessor.org.

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