Commissioners to Publ Homestead Option Sales Tax on November Ballot

The Meriwether County Commission voted at their June 8 meeting to put before the county’s voters a question on replacing some property taxes with a one-cent local option sales tax.

The Local Homestead Option Sales Tax, or LHOST, would assist homeowners with homestead exemptions with their annual property tax. As proposed, the LHOST if approved would give the same value tax relief to all owners with homesteads, meaning some would see their property taxes completely eliminated while others with higher-value properties would have a smaller property tax to pay.

The LHOST was passed as a bill in the Georgia State Senate this year and signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp.

The Commissioners discussed the LHOST and another one-cent sales tax, the Property Tax Relief Option Sales Tax, or PTRLOST. The PTRLOST would apply to all property owners in the county, while the LHOST only applies to properties where the owner is actually residing. Also, the LHOST is a ten-year tax while the PTRLOST is a five-year tax. Details of how the LHOST will operate are still being worked on in the General Assembly, which Kemp is calling into special session on June 17.

If approved by the voters, the LHOST would begin collecting in January of 2028. Of special note is the fact that even if a homeowner’s property taxes are totally covered by the LHOST, they would still receive a tax bill, as school taxes are not included in the LHOST.

Several state agencies came to the Commissioners with budget adjustment requests. The UGA County Extension Agent asked for a hike of $650.91 to cover salary adjustments; the Pine Mountain Regional Library System requested a $10,000 hike to cover health insurance and teacher retirement premiums; and the District Attorney, Department of Public Health, and Department of Family and Children Services asked that their budgets be the same as last year. Those requests were approved. A request from the Public Defender’s office for a budget hike of $12,040 to cover pay increases for staff was tabled as no representative of the office was on hand to speak with the Commissioners.

In other business, the Meriwether County Commission:

• Continued a public hearing on closing Hoss Bowden Road for two weeks to allow collection of signatures on the request from landowners along the road;

• Appointed Sean Lennon to the District 2 seat on the Industrial Development Authority;

• Agreed to wait for quotes to trim trees near the county Courthouse, with work to be done on weekends when traffic and construction are light;

• Awarded a bid for remounting of an ambulance box to Custom Truck and Body Works in Woodbury for $129,622; and

• Tabled to the June 23 meeting further discussion on remediation of the third floor of the Courthouse.

The next regular meeting of the Meriwether County Commission will be Tuesday, June 23, at 6 p.m.