HB 362: Bryan County; ad valorem tax; educational purposes; provide homestead exemption

Currently, Bryan County homeowners' property assessments for school tax purposes can rise each year along with market value. This bill would create a homestead exemption tied to a 'base year' value, so that the taxable value used for Bryan County school district taxes only grows by an inflation-adjusted amount each year rather than the full market increase, with adjustments for home improvements or additions. The exemption would not apply to state, county, independent school district, or municipal taxes, only Bryan County school district taxes for educational purposes, and not to bond debt taxes. Homeowners would need to apply once with the Bryan County tax commissioner, after which it renews automatically. The exemption depends on voters approving it in a November 2025 referendum, would apply starting with the 2026 tax year, and the whole Act repeals itself if voters reject it or no election is held.

• Creates a homestead exemption from Bryan County school district ad valorem (property) taxes equal to the difference between a home's current assessed value and its inflation-adjusted 'base year' value.
• Defines how the base year value grows each year, limited to an inflation rate set annually by the Bryan County tax commissioner using indexes like the Consumer Price Index.
• Requires homeowners to apply once with the tax commissioner, after which the exemption renews automatically each year without reapplication.
• Excludes the exemption from applying to state, county, independent school district, or municipal taxes, and bars stacking it with other base-year homestead exemptions for the same school district.
• Requires a November 2025 referendum in Bryan County school district for voter approval before the exemption can take effect for the 2026 tax year.
• Automatically repeals the entire Act 365 days after the election if voters reject it or the election is not properly conducted.

Homeowners with a homestead in the Bryan County school district, the Bryan County tax commissioner's office, which must calculate inflation rates and process applications, and the Bryan County election superintendent, who must call and conduct the referendum.

If approved by voters, homeowners in the Bryan County school district would see their school tax bills grow more slowly even as their homes' market value rises, since the taxable value used for that portion of taxes would be capped by an inflation adjustment rather than following full market appreciation.

• Section 1 defines key terms including 'base year assessed value,' 'adjusted base year assessed value,' and 'inflation rate,' and limits the homestead to five contiguous acres.
• Section 1(b) grants the exemption equal to the gap between current assessed value and the adjusted base year assessed value, and clarifies it does not transfer to new owners except as specified.
• Section 1(c) requires an application with the tax commissioner, though homeowners already receiving a 2025 homestead exemption are automatically enrolled for 2026 without reapplying.
• Section 1(e) states the exemption applies only to Bryan County school district taxes, not state, county, independent school, or municipal taxes, and cannot be combined with other base-year exemptions for the same school district.
• Section 1(g) sets the exemption's applicability to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026.
• Section 2 requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the General Assembly for the Act to become law, per the Georgia Constitution.
• Section 3 mandates a November 2025 referendum in the Bryan County school district, with automatic repeal 365 days after the election if voters reject it or no valid election occurs.

1. 2025-02-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-11House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-10House Hopper (House)

• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)Primary sponsor
• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)

• property taxes
• homestead exemption
• Bryan County
• school taxes
• local referendum