Monroe County commissioners stick with previous H.B. 581 opt out

Local governments that opted out now have the opportunity to opt back in annually through 2029. With Buc-ee’s, Oglethorpe Power, and new data centers expected to open in Monroe County over the coming years, Commission Board Chairman Gibbs says opting out and awaiting the financial impact of that development is for the better.

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Today, Monroe County Commissioners voted 4-1 to stick with their previous decision of opting out of House Bill 581.

The bill introduces a statewide homestead exemption that caps annual property value tax increases, limiting growth based on the previous year’s inflation rate for the next 50 years. But last month, state legislators voted in favor of H.B. 92, which gave local governments until April 30 to opt back in.

In February’s vote, Alan Gibbs, the Chairman of the Monroe County Commission Board, was the lone commissioner to vote in favor of the homestead exemption.

“I felt like our county, our citizens need a tax break, however we can do it,” Gibbs said Tuesday. “And that was the option we had at the time.” 

H.B. 581 was supported by 60% of Monroe County voters in November. In a special called meeting Tuesday, District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose disagreed with Gibbs, who argued in favor the property tax cap, on what that should mean.

“Did you read that ballot again?” Ambrose said. “It gives the commissioners the right to opt in or opt out.” 

Local governments that opted out now have the opportunity to opt back in annually through 2029. With Buc-ee’s, Oglethorpe Power, and new data centers expected to open in Monroe County over the coming years, Gibbs says opting out and awaiting the financial impact of that development is for the better.

“What that’s going to do is raise the amount of money coming into the county so that we can maybe make a better decision for our citizens than what the state has offered,” Gibbs said. 

District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland also changed his vote this time around, being the only vote in favor of opting back in. Rowland says he had reason to believe that a floating local option sales tax (FLOST) could have passed this November and made up for revenue lost due to the cap on property taxes.

“From the discussion that I’ve gotten from my citizens, I feel like they are interested in at least having the opportunity to vote for it,” Rowland said. “And I feel like they’re more confident in it being a good decision than I anticipated that it would be.” 

Gibbs came into the meeting prepared to vote in favor of the tax cap again but says he’s comfortable with he and the board’s final decision for this year.

“We have enough time to see how these other counties, how it’s affecting them along the way before we make a decision that’s very difficult to get out of,” Gibbs said.