State House Approves Freeze of Property Tax Values

Georgia House lawmakers Thursday approved a measure to freeze property tax values for two years. The vote on this measure followed a failure to pass a separate constitutional amendment which aimed to slow the growth of assessments.

Supporters say the plan passed would help lower taxes while preventing local governments from raising revenues through a "back door." Critics say it would deprive local governments of the revenue for crucial services such as police protection and education. It now goes to the Senate.

State Lawmakers Start Altered Schedule

Lawmakers in the Georgia House and Senate reconvene Tuesday to continue the General Assembly session. According to a House resolution approved by the Senate Friday, lawmakers will be meeting on a Tuesday through Thursday schedule until March 25th. The remaining days of the 40-day session would be filled in late June.

The hope for lawmakers is to buy time to see how Georgia's revenue holds-up in the coming months before a new budget needs to be finished by July 1st. Lawmakers also want to see what Georgia's share of federal stimulus money might be in the near future.