Baldwin property owners will see a property tax increase on their tax bills in the coming months.
The Baldwin City Council voted to increase the millage rate from 8.481 mills to 9.170 for 2024 property taxes. The new millage rate will increase property tax revenues for the Habersham County side by 16.74%. The Banks County side will see an increase of 52.03%.
Before approving the increase, the council held a public hearing to receive public comments related to the millage rate increase. No citizens spoke during the public hearing.
However, former Baldwin Mayor Joe Elam sent an email to Mayor Stephanie Almagno and the council since he could not attend the meeting. She read his email aloud during the public hearing.
Almagno read Elam’s letter aloud:
“Since I will not be able to be at the upcoming tax increase hearing. I wanted to share my thoughts with the council. This email serves as my presence at the hearing.”
I have done the math for my property and I understand every property is different.
The results of the proposed millage increase is a 24.47% increase in dollars the City will receive from me. I hope you will understand how impactful such an increase is on our citizens. Thank God I am not on a fixed income. I wonder how those who are will be able to digest this increase.
This comes on top of the 56.81% increase the City implemented in tax year 2022 & 9.12% increase the City implemented in tax year 2023. This will total to 90.4% increased taxes over 3 tax years. And the roads in my subdivision are more dirt road-like than paved,” his email concluded.”
Councilwoman Alice Venter addressed Elam’s email.
“Former Mayor Elam is intimately aware of our budget and how we run the city. He is also intimately aware of how frugal we actually are,” she said. Venter added, “Under his administration that we rolled the millage back so many times that it put us into poverty.”
Venter added, “I don’t like raising taxes either. However, you also know what it’s like to have to provide those services that people are expecting in exchange for a little bit of property tax,” she concluded.
After the public hearing, Venter made the motion to approve the millage rate increase and Councilwoman Kerri Davis second the motion. The motion carried 3-1 with Councilman Maarten Venter dissenting, staying true to his promise he made two years ago to not increase the millage rate.
