GEORGIA - Property tax rates on the rise

Property tax rates in four of the five counties around Lake Gaston are headed for a rise in the coming fiscal year.

The Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors has already adopted a budget for fiscal year 2013 containing a two-cent real estate tax increase. County boards in three other Lake Gaston counties — Northampton, Warren and Brunswick — are currently mulling proposed budgets that increase the property tax rate more than that.

Meanwhile, Halifax County has a budget proposed that keeps the property tax rate the same.

In Northampton County, which currently charges 87 cents per $100 property valuation, the Board of Commissioners is considering raising the property tax rate five cents to 92 cents per $100 valuation, according to clerk to the board Kimberly Turner.

Turner said the board would hold a budget work session this Friday at 10:30 a.m. ahead of a public hearing on the budget on Monday, June 18, at 1:30 p.m. Turner said the board usually adopts the budget on the same day as the public hearing.

Warren County manager Linda Worth presented her draft budget on May 7, which called for a four-cent property tax increase from 62 cents per $100 valuation to 66 cents per $100 valuation. Worth said the county’s revenues have been “severely impacted” by the current economic recession.

The Warren County Board of Commissioners has its public hearing on the budget scheduled for Monday, June 11, at 6 p.m., followed by a budget work session on Thursday, June 14, at 1 p.m. Adoption of the budget is scheduled for Wednesday, June 20, at 6 p.m.

Brunswick County is working off a proposed budget that increases the property tax rate eight cents, from 39 cents per $100 valuation to 47 cents per $100 valuation, in addition to other tax increases.

The proposal met stiff competition at a public hearing May 16. The Brunswick Board of Supervisors is scheduled to adopt a budget on Wednesday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m.

Halifax County manager Tony Brown submitted his budget proposal May 21, which suggested keeping the property tax rate at 68 cents per $100 valuation. The Halifax Board of Commissioners held its budget public hearing June 4 and is scheduled to adopt a budget June 18 at 9:30 a.m.

In Mecklenburg County, supervisors approved the property tax rate rising from 36 cents per $100 valuation to 38 cents per $100 valuation. Citing a need to raise revenues because of issues with teacher salaries in the Mecklenburg County public school system, the board approved the budget May 31.

Fiscal year 2013 budgets will be effective from July 1, 2012, until June 30, 2013.

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