Cumming / Alpharetta News, Information & Resources

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will be considering the adoption of a millage rate that will require an increase in the Maintenance and Operation property taxes, Fire property taxes and Bond property taxes.

The proposed county Maintenance and Operation rate remains at 3.834. The proposed Fire rate remains at 1.765. The proposed Bond rate is 1.196 mills, up from 0.446 mills in 2007. This represents a total millage increase of 0.75 mills. [Read more →]

The 2008 Forsyth County assessment notices were mailed by the Forsyth County Tax Assessors Office on May 23, 2008. Tax notices are sent to inform property owners of the value the Board of Assessors has placed on property; property tax amounts will be based on these values. By law, the value indicated on the notice is an estimate of fair market value of the property.

Chief Appraiser Mary Kirkpatrick notes that in order to understand the notices, it is important to understand the tax process.

The 2008 tax value is based on sales that occurred between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. The date for tax assessment is January 1 of each year. The notices that taxpayers are currently receiving reflect the valuation of the property on January 1, 2008. Tax valuations may not see the full impact of any changing market trends until the 2009 tax digest. [Read more →]

As a real estate investor, you understand that protecting the value of your investments is critical. Your solvency as a successful investor hinges upon your ability to turn low-value investments into high-value investments: success in the real estate industry means constantly running numbers and considering scenarios.

One tool that is incredibly important to real estate investors looking to grow the worth of their assets is [Read more →]

A public hearing regarding proposed changes to the Unified Development Code is scheduled for the June 5 Board of Commissioners meeting. The purpose of the public hearing shall be to present changes related to outdoor lighting found within Chapters 3 and 16 of the Unified Development Code. All residents and any other affected and/or interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend. Click Forsyth County Government Proposed UDC Changes for more details on this item.

Forsyth County’s outdoor water restrictions have been modified to align with those of the state of Georgia. The only change resulting from these modifications involves exemptions for new landscaping.

Those who successfully complete an Outdoor Water Use Registration Program are allowed to water newly installed landscape up to three days a week following the odd-even schedule for a period of ten weeks following planting. Program registrants learn proper watering techniques and the importance of water conservation. The Outdoor Water Use Registration Program is available online at www.urbanagcouncil.com.

To be eligible for this exemption, the landscaping should have been in place less than 30 days. The watering must occur on the designated odd-even days within the hours of midnight to 10 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Even-numbered addresses may water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. [Read more →]