--- title: HB 1533. Dalton Independent School System; remove the increased millage rate limitation collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1533 cite_as: HB 1533, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1533 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1533.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1533/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73995 date: 2026-03-23 status: engrossed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1532.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1534.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 481 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1533.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1533 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-03-20 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Kasey Carpenter - Steve Tarvin text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1533/2025 upstream_id: 2131407 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - property taxes - Dalton schools - school funding - local referendum - millage rate --- # HB 1533. Dalton Independent School System; remove the increased millage rate limitation ## Text House Bill 1533 By: Representatives Carpenter of the 4th and Tarvin of the 2nd A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act to continue the existence of the Dalton Independent School System, approved May 13, 2011 (Ga. L. 2011, p. 4111), so as to remove the increased millage rate limitation; to provide for the maximum millage rate to be charged by such school system; to provide for a referendum, effective dates, automatic repeal, mandatory execution of election, and judicial remedies regarding failure to comply; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. An Act to continue the existence of the Dalton Independent School System, approved May 13, 2011 (Ga. L. 2011, p. 4111), is amended by revising subsection (b) of Section 9 as follows: "(b) The mill limitation in effect on December 31, 2012, shall be removed. In its place, the school system shall be subject to the millage limitation provided for in Article VIII, Section VI, Paragraph I(a) of the Constitution." SECTION 2. The municipal election superintendent of the City of Dalton shall call and conduct an election as provided in this section for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of the City of Dalton for approval or rejection. The municipal election superintendent shall conduct that election on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 2026, and shall issue the call and conduct that election as provided by general law. The municipal election superintendent shall cause the date and purpose of the election to be published once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date thereof in the official organ of Whitfield County. The ballot shall have written or printed thereon the words: "( ) YES Shall the Act be approved which lowers the millage rate cap for property ( ) NO taxes collected to support the Dalton Independent School System?" All persons desiring to vote for approval of the Act shall vote "Yes," and all persons desiring to vote for rejection of the Act shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on such question are for approval of the Act, Section 1 of this Act shall become of full force and effect on January 1, 2027. If the Act is not so approved or if the election is not conducted as provided in this section, Section 1 of this Act shall not become effective, and this Act shall be automatically repealed on the 365th calendar day following the election date provided for in this section. The expense of such election shall be borne by the City of Dalton. It shall be the municipal election superintendent's duty to certify the result thereof to the Secretary of State. The provisions of this section shall be mandatory upon the municipal election superintendent and are not intended as directory. If the municipal election superintendent fails or refuses to comply with this section, any elector of the City of Dalton may apply for a writ of mandamus to compel the municipal election superintendent to perform his or her duties under this section. If the court finds that the municipal election superintendent has not complied with this section, the court shall fashion appropriate relief requiring the municipal election superintendent to call and conduct such election on the date required by this section or on the next date authorized for special elections provided for in Code Section 21-2-540 of the O.C.G.A. SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided in Section 2 of this Act, this Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. SECTION 4. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A House bill would remove a special cap on the Dalton Independent School System's property tax rate, letting it rise to the state constitutional maximum, subject to voter approval in a November 2026 referendum. ### Plain-language summary Since 2011, Georgia law has capped how high the Dalton Independent School System could raise its property tax rate (millage rate) beyond a limit set after 2012. This bill would remove that special cap entirely. In its place, the school system would follow the general maximum millage rate allowed under the Georgia Constitution (Article VIII, Section VI, Paragraph I(a)), which is generally higher than the current local cap. The change would not take effect automatically. The bill requires the City of Dalton's municipal election superintendent to hold a referendum on November 3, 2026, asking voters whether to approve the change. If a majority votes yes, the new rule takes effect January 1, 2027. If voters reject it or the election isn't held as required, the whole bill is automatically repealed 365 days after the scheduled election date. The bill also allows a court to order the election superintendent to hold the vote if they fail to do so. ### What it does - Removes the specific millage rate cap that has applied to the Dalton Independent School System since December 31, 2012. - Replaces that cap with the general maximum property tax rate allowed under the Georgia Constitution for school systems. - Requires a referendum in the City of Dalton on November 3, 2026, letting voters approve or reject the change. - Sets the new rule to take effect January 1, 2027 only if voters approve it, and automatically repeals the entire Act if they don't. - Allows any Dalton voter to seek a court order (writ of mandamus) forcing the election superintendent to hold the vote if they fail to do so. ### Who it affects Property owners within the Dalton Independent School System's taxing area, the Dalton city government and its municipal election superintendent, Whitfield County's official legal newspaper (which must publish election notices), and the school system itself, which depends on property tax revenue. ### Why it matters If voters approve it, the Dalton school system could raise property taxes above the level currently allowed, up to the general state constitutional limit, potentially increasing revenue for schools but also increasing tax bills for property owners in the district. If voters reject it, no change occurs and the bill expires. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises subsection (b) of the 2011 Dalton school system Act, removing the fixed post-2012 millage cap and tying the maximum rate instead to the constitutional limit in Article VIII, Section VI, Paragraph I(a). - Section 2 requires a referendum on November 3, 2026, with the ballot question asking whether to approve lowering the millage rate cap; approval triggers the change on January 1, 2027. - Section 2 also makes the referendum mandatory, provides for court-ordered enforcement via mandamus if the election superintendent fails to act, and sets automatic repeal of the whole Act 365 days after the election if voters reject it or no election occurs. - Section 3 makes the rest of the Act effective upon the Governor's signature or otherwise becoming law, except for the referendum-dependent Section 1. - Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2026-03-20) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-03-23) - Sponsors: Kasey Carpenter, Steve Tarvin - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73995 > The history, votes, and amendments (481 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1533.md?full=1