Waycross joined Ware County and the Ware County Board of Education last week in opting out of out of the statewide floating homestead exemption introduced by House Bill 581 (HB581).
The decision came in a 3-0 vote by the Waycross City Commission at a special called meeting Wednesday, February 19 in City Hall. The vote followed the last of three required public hearings on the subject if a taxing organization in the state was going to consider rejecting use of the statewide exemption in favor of keeping its local counterpart.
Commissioners Shawn Roberts, Sheinita Bennett and Alvin Nelson attended the hearing and meeting, and cast the votes. Commissioner Katrena Felder was absent.
The commission cited the city’s existing homestead exemption system, as a more beneficial option for local homeowners.
The current system “freezes” the valuation of a taxpayer’s property, ensuring the taxable value does not increase, unlike the floating exemption proposed by HB581.
The “freeze” only applies to the homeowner’s primary domicile and up to five acres around the domicile.
Ware County Tax Commissioner Roger Collins and county appraisers favored keeping the status quo rather than adopting HB581 for local use.
Both Ware County commissioners and members of the school board voted earlier this month to opt out.
