The Columbia County Board of Commissioners will hold the final public hearing regarding House Bill 581 on Tuesday.
This will be the fourth hearing the county will hold regarding possibly opting out of House Bill 581. The first three hearings had many community members attending, and after learning more information, voicing their opinion that the county should opt out.
In previous meetings, County Manager Scott Johnson said there are three pieces to the law: the floating homestead exemption, the optional sales tax and property tax reforms.
The optional sales tax can only be used if the entity opts in to House Bill 581 but must be voted on by citizens in November. All the funds from that sales tax must be used to offset property taxes. However, Johnson informed commissioners that all entities, so the county and two cities, must opt in to be eligible for the optional sales tax.
MORE: Columbia County holds second public hearing on House Bill 581
Johnson added that once the county opts in, they can’t opt out later on.
The previous hearings can be found on the Columbia County, Georgia YouTube page.
Regular meeting items
The regular Board of Commissioners meeting will take place immediately following the public hearing.
On the agenda is two second readings, one for ordinance 25-01 amending chapter 82 traffic and vehicles, article III parking, division 4 and the other for resolution 25-02 amending the Parks and Recreation Facility rental and membership fees schedule.
The ordinance is to update the regulations with the purpose to enhance public safety, improve traffic flow and make sure there is compliance with local and state guidelines.
The resolution is to create fees for pickleball memberships at the Columbia County Racquet Center. The county is proposing that memberships will be free for Columbia County residents and $500 a year for non-Columbia County residents.
The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the Evans Government Center Complex on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The regular meeting will be held following the public hearing. To view the agendas, visit columbiacountyga.gov.
