Gwinnett County residents turned out this week as county leaders floated a 2026 millage plan that keeps the general-fund rate at 6.950 mills. Because that number sits above Georgia's calculated rollback rate, state law forces the county to advertise it as a property tax increase, even as officials stress that most homeowners would not see the county portion of their bill go up. The Board of Commissioners is expected to take a final vote at its August meeting, and an online comment period is still open in the meantime.
What the county is proposing
According to Gwinnett County, commissioners want to hold the 2026 general-fund millage rate at 6.950 mills and outlined the plan during public hearings at the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center auditorium. The county reports that the rollback rate for the general fund comes in at 6.792 mills, which makes the proposed rate 0.158 mills higher and automatically triggers the state-required notice of a tax increase.
County leaders argue that “increase” is mostly a technical term in this case. “In a time when families are feeling the pressures of inflation, holding the millage rate steady means most Gwinnett homeowners would go a sixth straight year without an increase in the County portion of their tax bill,” Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said in a county statement.
How the Value Offset Exemption works
One key reason officials say bills should stay flat for many homeowners is the county's Value Offset Exemption, or VOE. Gwinnett's VOE freezes the county portion of a qualifying homeowner's assessed value at the base year when the homestead exemption first kicked in, which helps blunt the impact of a stable or higher millage rate as property values climb.
As detailed by the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner, the VOE covers a home and up to five acres and is applied automatically once a homestead exemption is granted. The shield is limited to the county portion of the tax bill, so changes in city and school millage rates can still move a homeowner's total tax tab up or down.
Public reaction and next steps
CBS News Atlanta covered the hearings and noted that county officials are actively asking homeowners to weigh in on whether the 6.950 rate should stand. Residents who prefer to comment from the couch still have a little time: according to Gwinnett County's comment page, the online comment period closes Monday, Aug. 3, at 9:00 p.m.
The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to consider the millage rate during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 2:00 p.m. Those who want to speak in person can attend the meeting in the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center auditorium and sign up to address commissioners directly.
What to watch
All eyes now turn to the Aug. 4 meeting to see whether commissioners officially lock in the 6.950 rate and how that decision interacts with any changes in city or school millages that could shape final tax bills. For some historical context, similar hearings in past years also focused on the county's choice to maintain this same rate.
Residents who plan to speak up can use the county's online comment form through Aug. 3, and county staff say they will be available in person before hearings to field questions about how the proposed millage and exemptions would play out on individual tax bills.
