The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission decided this week that they will vote on adding another penny of sales tax, which will be used to provide property tax relief.
The Georgia State Legislature approved the use of the Floating Local Option Sales Tax, or FLOST, in 2024. It allows municipalities to dedicate a new penny of sales tax to property tax relief. Athens-Clarke County Commissioners will vote next Thursday on whether to send this tax to local voters for approval in November.
District 8 Commissioner Carol Myers said that although the tax allows property owners to benefit from visiting spenders and college students, vulnerable people in the community could be impacted.
She stated, “Just as much as there’s education on how it effects property owners, I’d like to be clear to the public on the affect on people who are not property owners, because this penny is added to grocery bills.”
She asked staff for more information on how the new tax would impact the average renter in the county. Over 30 counties in Georgia have established the tax by voter referendum.
