WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — Walton County residents are voicing frustration after county commissioners voted earlier this month to raise property taxes by nearly 20%.
On Thursday evening, Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers was among 100 people gathered outside the historic courthouse in downtown Monroe, carrying signs and circulating a petition calling for commissioners to rescind the vote.
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“The backs of everyone here in Walton County are already pretty financially strained as it is,” said Ryan Heard with the organization Walton in Action.
The millage rate increase, approved in a 4-3 vote, was aimed at funding public safety, county officials said. The county recently built a new jail and is working to cover staffing needs.
“The increase was primarily focused on public safety,” said Ben Hammond, the Public Information Officer for Walton County. “We had a request from the sheriff to fund 90 new positions for the new facility because it’s much larger.”
The county says the average increase will be about $20 a year. But several residents at the protest said they are facing much larger bills.
“Mine will probably still be in the neighborhood of a $1,200 hike,” said Riley Rucker.
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Another family said the increase could push them into homelessness.
“We are already living paycheck to paycheck, said Kris Gaddie-Cleveland. “An extra $2000 spread out over a year, is still an extra $2000 we don’t have. We will lose our house due to property taxes, not because we’re not paying our bills…We can’t make 19% work, that’s not reasonable.”
Seniors said they are among the most vulnerable.
“It’s really going to hit seniors like you and me hard because we don’t pay school tax, so the fact that they’re rolling back school tax doesn’t help, so we’re going to get the full brunt of the 20% tax increase,” said resident Ron Sack.
The Walton County Board of Education voted to reduce its millage rate to offset the increase from the Board of Commissioners.
Residents say their only option now is to push commissioners to hold a special meeting before Sept. 1, when the decision will go to the state.
But that would require a majority of commissioners — the same majority that voted in favor of the increase.
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