by Hayden Sumlin, Rough Draft Atlanta

Before the Jan. 21 approval of Fulton County’s 2026 operating budget, it looked like homeowners and commercial property owners could expect a hike to the property tax rate this fall.

The Fulton County Commission passed this year’s $1.041 billion operating budget in a 4-3 vote, keeping the assumed property tax rate flat at 8.87 mills. Support came from a bipartisan voting bloc that emerged last year, including Republican commissioners in North Fulton, and longtime Democrats, Chair Robb Pitts and Vice Chair Khadijah Abdur-Rahman.

During the budget process, county staff proposed a $1.073 billion budget with a roughly 4.4 percent increase to the property tax rate.

Chair intervenes on budget

Chair Robb Pitts, whose proposed budget was eventually passed, said higher-than-necessary tax bills would be devastating for citizens.

“We are the policy makers, and we make the final decision,” Pitts said before the vote. “I think that we’ve done a good job in providing services, the mandated services in particular, to our citizens without a millage rate increase.”

Pitts said his proposal to keep the county government’s property tax rate flat is “common sense.”

“Given the forecast by economic experts … I know that there are citizens in Fulton County, seniors in particular, people on fixed incomes, young families who are just starting out, and veterans, who cannot afford an increase in their taxes,” Pitts said. “To me, it was a common-sense thing. I’m determined to defeat any attempts to raise the millage rate this year.”

The county commission will not approve the official property tax rate until early August. Bills will go out a week or two later.

To align revenues and expenditures, the budget calls for a slightly higher collection rate, while assuming an increase in sales tax revenue and the property tax digest.

The county’s general fund, up around five percent from last year’s $990 million budget, pays for constituent services, including senior and behavioral health, the Grady Health System, the sheriff’s office and all jail facilities, election management, libraries, and animal services.

Fulton County has kept its millage rate at 8.87 since 2022.

While the rate owners pay on their property has steadily declined since its peak of 11.78 mills in 2014, property values have risen. So, the county is collecting more money from residents.

Pitts said his budget has crucial funding for services, including $234 million for the sheriff’s office, $68 million for health and human resources, $20 million for behavioral health, and $5 million in additional resources for the justice system.

He also touted $13 million for employee cost-of-living adjustments, the county’s role as Georgia’s largest funder of public art, and its childcare program for employees.

“Our direct funding for behavioral health is more than six times that of DeKalb County, Cobb County, and Gwinnett County combined,” Pitts said. “We’re making progress. We have the finest senior facilities in the country, and we’re known for what we do for our seniors, and we’re continuing to do that.”

Commissioners push back

For the past decade, Pitts has helmed the Fulton County Commission. Commissioners Mo Ivory and Marvin Arrington Jr. have announced campaigns to challenge his seat, up for reelection next year.

The County Commission is a seven-member body with an at-large chair and six representatives elected by constituents within their district.

While county staff proposed a 4.4 percent increase to the property tax rate, Commissioners Arrington, Ivory, and Dana Barrett requested a higher millage rate assumption. Ivory’s increase was the highest at 14.3 percent, followed by Barrett’s at 9 percent, and Arrington’s at 4.5 percent.

Motions to approve the three commissioners’ distinct proposed budgets failed.

While Arrington indicated he was fine with the chair’s proposal, Ivory said she “fundamentally cannot agree to many items,” calling the budget “irresponsible.”

“I don’t think they’re realistic, and I don’t think that they take into account our crises … that have been taking place for a very long time,” Ivory said. “We have a jail crisis … we’re not properly funding the consent decree costs in the proposed budget from the county manager.”

Vice Chair Abdur-Rahman dismissed concerns from commissioners voting against the budget.

“The sky hasn’t fallen in the six years I’ve been here,” Abdur-Rahman said. “But all of a sudden, the three horsemen of doom are riding down, and everything is going to hell. That is theatrics.”

Pitts said tax hike proposals from other commissioners, two of whom are challenging him in the Nov. 3 election, are “ridiculous in this environment.”

“We’ve also got to keep in mind, we have 300,000 people coming here for the World Cup,” Pitts said. “High rollers are coming to town. They’re going to be spending a lot of money, [and] we’re going to take advantage of that.”

Despite concerns from some commissioners, Pitts said he is “comfortable” with the budget’s balance between providing high-quality constituent services and not overburdening property owners.

“It’s better management,” Pitts said. “I have to give credit to our department heads as well and employees … we all had to change a little haircut in this. But, we continue to provide world-class services.”