Fulton County homeowners could see a bump in their property tax bills under a proposed 2026 General Fund millage rate that is 0.54% above the 2026 rollback rate. Before any final number is locked in, residents will get three separate chances to sound off at public hearings scheduled for next week and the following one.
The proposal, reported by WSB-TV, sets up a pair of hearings on September 30 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., followed by a third session on October 7 at 10 a.m. All three will be held in person at the Government Center Assembly Hall at 141 Pryor Street in Atlanta, with virtual attendance available through the county website and direct Zoom links. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners will not finalize the millage rate until after all three hearings have wrapped, per the station's report.
Why a Rollback Rate Triggers Hearings
The hearing requirement traces back to Georgia law, which mandates that local governments compute a rollback millage rate whenever property values are reassessed. The rollback rate is designed to produce the same total revenue the prior year would have generated without any reassessment, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Because Fulton County's proposed rate exceeds that rollback figure, state law requires the three public hearings before commissioners can adopt a final rate, the same report notes.
Reassessments themselves are tied to the local real estate market. Property values get revisited when recent sales in specific parts of the county point to higher fair market values, and the Fulton County Board of Tax Assessors is legally required to review those assessed values every year to keep pace with market trends, per the same account.
How Fulton Compares to Other Georgia Jurisdictions
Fulton isn't alone in proposing an increase above its rollback rate this cycle. In Coweta County, the City of Chattahoochee Hills reported that its net tax digest rose 8%, from $450,897,400 to $484,921,631, even as the city proposed holding its millage rate steady at 8.20 mills, according to the City of Chattahoochee Hills. Elsewhere in the state, Harris County has proposed a rate that would raise property taxes by 0.71% above its rollback rate of 9.066 mills, per a notice from Harris County. Talbot County's tentatively adopted 2026 rate would require a steeper 3.18% increase, according to Talbot County.
Fulton County's proposal calls for a 0.54% increase over its rollback rate. The county's final rate remains pending until after the September 30 and October 7 hearings conclude.
