Savannah property owners face a proposed 3% city tax increase

Savannah is proposing to keep its city property-tax rate at 11.749 mills, the same nominal rate used in 2025. The city is nevertheless advertising the tentative 2026 rate as a 3.0% property-tax increase because it is above the rollback rate used for comparison under Georgia’s property-tax process.

Two public hearings are scheduled for Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Savannah City Hall. City Council is scheduled to consider final adoption of the rate at its 2:00 p.m. meeting that day, so the 11.749-mill rate is not final yet.

Why an unchanged rate is advertised as an increase

The city’s notice says the tentative 11.749-mill rate is 0.347 mills above the 11.402-mill rollback rate. That comparison produces the advertised 3.0% increase, even though the nominal city millage rate is unchanged from 2025.

The rollback comparison is intended to account for changes in the taxable digest, including reassessments and other changes in property values. It does not mean every Savannah property owner will see the same change on a tax bill.

Estimated impact for two property examples

In its notice, Savannah estimates that a home with a fair market value of $375,000 would pay approximately $52.05 more in annual city property taxes under the proposed rate. The city estimates an additional $128.39 for $925,000 in non-homestead property.

Those are examples for specified property values and classifications, not universal estimates. Individual bills can vary based on assessed value, homestead exemptions, property classification and other factors.

Tax base and projected collections

The city’s official 2026 tax-digest document lists an adjusted net digest of $10,577,530,284, or about $10.578 billion, compared with $10,021,879,351 in 2025. It lists projected 2026 net taxes levied of $124,275,403, a 5.54% increase from the prior year.

A larger taxable digest can produce higher collections even when the nominal millage rate stays the same. That is why the city’s notice distinguishes the unchanged 11.749-mill rate from the separate rollback-rate calculation.

August 13 hearings and final council action

The hearings are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on August 13 in the City Hall Council Chambers at 2 East Bay Street, at the corner of Bay and Bull streets in Savannah. Residents may attend in person. Written comments and supporting evidence may also be submitted to the Clerk of Council; the city says those comments become public record and are shared with the mayor and aldermen before the hearing.

The city’s tax-rate adoption notice identifies the 2:00 p.m. August 13 meeting as the scheduled meeting for setting the millage rate. Until City Council takes that action, 11.749 mills remains a proposed or tentatively adopted rate rather than a final 2026 rate.

The Savannah city proposal is separate from Chatham County’s property-tax process. A resident’s total property-tax obligation can include multiple taxing authorities, so the city’s proposed rate should not be treated as the county’s final rate or as the complete tax bill for a parcel.

Property owners and residents should watch the August 13 hearings, the council’s final action and the later tax bills for the effect on individual properties.

Sources

• City of Savannah property-tax increase notice
• Savannah City Council July 9, 2026 agenda
• WTOC: Savannah sets public hearings to keep lowest tax rate since 1987