Warner Robins city leaders are proposing to raise the municipal property tax rate to 10.000 mills for 2026, up from 8.953 mills last year — an increase of 1.047 mills. The change would mean higher city tax bills for many property owners if the Warner Robins mayor and council adopt the rate as proposed.
The proposed rate exceeds the no-tax-increase threshold — the rollback rate calculated after property reassessments — by about 12.74 percent for Houston County property owners and about 16.12 percent for Peach County property owners, according to The Georgia Sun. Because Warner Robins spans both Houston and Peach counties, residents' overall bills combine municipal, county, and school system levies, and the impact of the city's proposed increase varies depending on which county a homeowner sits in. Warner Robins property owners in Peach County would be subject to the proposed 10.000-mill city rate, per figures released by the City of Warner Robins.
What the Higher Rate Would Cost Homeowners
For properties without a homestead exemption, the estimated increases climb with home value under the proposal outlined by The Georgia Sun: $42.96 a year for a $100,000 home, $96.66 for a $225,000 home, $171.84 for a $400,000 home, and $322.20 for a $750,000 home. Since one mill represents $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable property value, the exact amount any individual owes still depends on the property's assessed value, applicable exemptions, and changes in property value from year to year.
The proposed 10.000-mill rate would increase Warner Robins' rate from 8.953 mills, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Why City Leaders Say the Increase Is Needed
Warner Robins officials began reviewing a nearly $185 million budget for fiscal year 2027 this past June. The proposal includes infrastructure and public-safety funding, according to 13WMAZ. In the city's fiscal year 2026 general fund, 53% of spending went directly to public safety operations, with general government making up another 22%, per the Houston Home Journal.
Warner Robins also enacted a separate ordinance in August 2024 creating a so-called blight tax, which adds a 10-mill penalty onto the property tax rate for unmaintained, neglected, and unoccupied properties. City leaders adopted the policy as a separate measure. That blight tax is distinct from the general millage rate increase now under consideration.
County and School Cuts Could Offset the City Hike
The Houston County Board of Commissioners' 2026 maintenance-and-operations rate was reported at 8.87 mills, while 8.45 mills was the 2025 proposed rate. The Houston County Board of Education went further, setting its 2026 school millage rate at 11.677 mills — the lowest level since 1992 — with the help of local sales tax revenue from the renewed Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, per 13WMAZ.
Even as the city moves to raise its rate, other local taxing bodies are cutting theirs. The county and school-tax rates are moving in the opposite direction of the proposed city increase. The effect on qualifying homesteaded owners also depends on applicable state law. Home values also affect property-tax bills.
Public Hearings Required Under State Law
Warner Robins is advertising the proposal as a tax increase and holding three public hearings. The first hearing is scheduled for September 14 at noon, with two additional hearings set for September 21 — one at noon and one no earlier than 6 p.m., following a pre-council meeting. All three hearings will be held at Warner Robins City Hall.
The Warner Robins mayor and council are tentatively scheduled to vote on adopting the proposed rate on the evening of September 21. Residents who want to weigh in on the proposed city rate have until that vote to speak at one of the scheduled hearings.
