Property assessment notices show increases
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Property values in Jenkins County are on the rise, as evidenced by over 5,000 notices mailed to local property owners last week. Jenkins County Tax Assessor Don Rich noted that the countywide reevaluation is the first since 2004.

"Property values in Jenkins County have changed drastically. Houses are selling, at an average, more than 37 percent of the current appraised value. And farmland and timberland have more than doubled in value," Rich said.

The increased assessment amounts, however, do not necessarily mean that property owners will see an increase in their property taxes.

"The Jenkins County Commissioners have already set their budget without a tax increase. So, this means the millage rate for the county will be rolled back, compensating for increases in property reassessments, " Rich said. "The county can't collect more taxes than it did last year based solely upon property reassessments."

Jenkins County School Superintendent Joan Blackwood also indicated to The Millen News this week that the Jenkins County Board of Education does not anticipate a tax increase in its budget.

"What we do doesn't have nearly as much bearing on property taxes as establishing the millage rate does," Rich noted.

Rich added that should market values decline in the county, his office would conduct another reassessment.

Property owners who are dissatisfied with their property reevaluations have 45 days to file a written appeal with the Jenkins County Tax Assessor's Office.