THANK YOU to everyone who has signed the petition urging the Gwinnett County School Board not to "opt out" of Constitutional Amendment 1. This amendment, which was approved by over 63% of voters, caps property tax increases at the rate of inflation.
We have 15 days left to amplify our voices! Please share this petition with others—whether through email or social media—and encourage at least ONE NEW PERSON to sign. By doing so, we can double our impact. This petition will be presented to the School Board during one of the final two public hearings on February 20th (at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.).
As you know, the FY2025 GCPS budget is $3.2 billion, which equates to $13,825 per student per year. Homeowners cannot continue shouldering the growing financial burden—hardworking taxpayers should not be expected to fund endless increases.
Gwinnett Representative Rey Martinez has this to say, "Legislators passed a Bill for the citizens of our State to make their voices heard by voting for or against HB581. It passed by by the Voters, therefore I don’t believe the City, County, or School Boards should opt out."
Gwinnett Representative Soo Hong said, "I voted to pass this amendment on the floor and believe that the county and the school board should listen to the will of the people, and should not opt-out." Let's show the School Board the will of The People's voice will not be subverted!
Gwinnett Representative Derrick McCollum sent the following letter to the School Board:
Dear Gwinnett County School Board Members:
Thank you for your leadership of Georgia’s largest school system, and commitment to quality education for the children of Gwinnett County. We write to encourage you not to opt out of House Bill 581, the floating homestead exemption approved by the people of Georgia in November of 2024 with more than 60 % of the vote. HB 581 provides that the property tax assessed value for a home will be initially set at the 2024 value of the home, and resets whenever a home is sold or receives a substantial property change. Annual home value increases would be limited to the rate of inflation, calculated by the Georgia Department of Revenue.
Home values have increased dramatically in recent years, and homeowners in Gwinnett County have paid a large amount of additional property taxes based on those value increases. The school system has received hundreds of millions of dollars in increased funds based upon rapid increases in home values. The 2024 base tax year would provide a high value for school property tax funding, in addition to annual increases based upon the rate of inflation. That provides ample funds for local schools, without burdening longtime homeowners. New home purchases would establish even higher school funding revenue in future years.
It is not fair to homeowners for our local schools to be funded above the rate of inflation. Any reasonable budgetary concerns could be satisfied through the value of commercial property and rental properties, and not through taxing owner-occupied homes above the rate of inflation. Taxation of homeowners above the rate of inflation is not sustainable, and causes pain to middle and lower income homeowners the most.
Workforce homeownership in Gwinnett County provides a stable pool of educators and school employees. Overtaxing homeowners, on the other hand, will lead good educators and school employees to move away, and that would invariably cause them to consider working where they move, rather than in Gwinnett County.
HB 581 would also relieve homeowners and County resources from having to work on tax appeals every year concerning the value of homes. Please treat Gwinnett County homeowners right, and vote not to opt out of HB 581.
Derrick McCollum
State Representative
District 30