If Liberty County property owners have a question on their land’s value, Keith Payne said his office is ready to help.
The new chief appraiser told county commissioners recently that his office has an open door policy with homeowners and property owners when it comes to their land’s assessed value.
“Our goal is to be fair and equitable to everybody,” he said. In Georgia, every property owner has the right to declare what they believe their fair market value to be and they can do between January 1 and April 1. Doing so is called a return on real estate property tax, and Payne urged property owners and home owners to file one.
“This is an excellent opportunity to ensure that the information on the property card accurately reflects the condition of your property, come January 1,” he said.
Payne also encouraged property owners who suffered damage to sheds or other outlying buildings as a result of Tropical Storm Debby or Hurricane Helene to let the assessors office know.
“A lot of sheds got damaged or removed from the storm and we still have it on the property record,” he said.
Payne also sought to remind property owners that their assessment is not a tax bill and they should not send in payment. The assessments also will no longer have an estimate of the property taxes on the notices. Those estimates are being replaced by the rollback rate.
Liberty County residents who own both the land and their home and live in the home may qualify for a homestead exemption. The deadline to file for a homestead exemption is April 1.
Property assessment notices are scheduled to go out May 12, and property owners can file an appeal of the value until June 26. The property owner can file an appeal but it must be done within 45 days of the date of the notice.
Assessment notices also are not tax bills. Property tax bills are scheduled to go out by October 1.
Assessors office also will check with homeowners to see for which exemptions they may be eligible.
“We can review to make sure you have all the exemptions you’re eligible for,” Payne said.
He also emphasized that the one-time property tax relief grant, put in place in 2024 by Gov. Brian Kemp and House Bill 18, won’t be in effect this year. The measure allowed for $950 million in property tax relief to homeowners across the state by reducing the assessed value of qualified homesteaded properties by up to $18,000.
Lee Steele, chair of the board of assessors, said Payne will come speak to local clubs and organizations to let people know what the assessors can do and what it does not.
“We’re going to do our best and get the word out,” she said. “They know the answers. There is a lot of misinformation out there.”
There are approximately 28,000 parcels of land in the county, and the state Department of Revenue said the local assessors office is in need of two additional appraisers. Payne, who took over last year from longtime chief appraiser Glenda Roberts following her retirement, pointed out the assessors office has new brochure making it simpler for them to navigate the departments within the office and to ask common questions concerning ad valorem taxes.
“This is the most knowledgeable office in the state of Georgia,” he said.