The City of Austell’s tax-digest notice and its 2026 property-tax press release say the city is proposing to maintain the millage rate at 8.250 mills. The city also says Georgia law requires a “Tax Increase” advertisement because the tax digest increased.

The millage rate is the rate applied to taxable assessed value. The tax digest is the value base used in the calculation. When the digest grows, a city may collect more property-tax revenue even if its stated millage rate is maintained. That does not mean every property increased by the same percentage or that every homeowner will see the same change.

What the tentative proposal said

WSB-TV reported July 1 that Austell’s current millage rate stood at 7.870 mills and that the proposed rate would be 8.250 mills. The report described the proposal as a 4.83% increase when measured against the rollback comparison and gave an example of an approximately $46.63 increase for a home with a fair-market value of $310,479.

That $46.63 figure is an illustration, not a universal estimate. An individual bill also depends on the property’s assessed and taxable value, applicable exemptions, and separate entries for the city, county, school system and other taxing authorities.

The rollback comparison is different from simply comparing this year’s posted rate with last year’s nominal rate. The tax-digest process uses a rollback calculation intended to show the rate that would produce comparable revenue after changes in the digest. That is why Austell can describe its 8.250-mill rate as maintained while still publishing a tax-increase notice.

July hearings and final-reading status

WSB-TV reported that Austell scheduled public hearings for July 6 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., followed by a final hearing on July 13 at 6 p.m. The city calendar identifies the July 13 event as the “Property Tax Millage Rate 3rd & Final Reading.”

As of July 31, the city’s resident-facing property-tax page lists the current millage rate as 8.25 mills and provides information about homestead and age exemptions. The official meetings hub reviewed for this article lists a July 6 regular council meeting and then an August 3 meeting, but it does not visibly display a July 13 millage resolution, adopted ordinance or approved minutes. The 8.250-mill figure should therefore be treated as the city’s posted rate unless and until the July 13 adoption record is available to confirm final status.

What Austell homeowners should check

• Review the property’s final assessment and taxable value.
• Confirm that homestead, age or other eligible exemptions appear correctly.
• Separate the city line from county, school-system and other tax-authority charges.
• Compare the eventual bill with the prior year rather than relying only on the millage rate.
• Check the city’s meeting records for the July 13 resolution, ordinance or approved minutes.

For Austell homeowners, the practical question is not only whether the city lists 8.250 mills. It is how the adopted rate, the property’s taxable value, exemptions and every applicable taxing authority combine on the eventual bill.

Sources

• City of Austell 2026 Five-Year Tax Digest Notice
• WSB-TV report on Austell's 2026 tax proposal
• City of Austell Official Meetings Records Portal

The increase is an important budget input, but it is not itself a tax-rate increase or a guarantee of new revenue for the city.

What the preliminary tax roll shows

The Volusia County Property Appraiser’s 2026 preliminary tax-roll summary lists Daytona Beach’s municipal taxable value at $11,743,242,860. The comparable 2025 final post-Value Adjustment Board figure was $10,469,829,229.

That is an increase of $1,273,413,631. The county report calculates the net tax-roll increase at 12.16%.

The figures are preliminary and can change as the tax-roll process continues, including through value adjustments or other official revisions.

Why the city cites 12.48%

City of Daytona Beach materials describe the increase as 12.48%, or more than $1.3 billion. That figure is based on a different 2025 comparison value: $10,439,779,262, rather than the county report’s $10,469,829,229 final post-VAB baseline.

The two percentages therefore describe the same broad trend but use different starting points. The county’s preliminary tax-roll summary is the primary numeric baseline for the municipal comparison.

What the increase does — and does not — mean

Taxable value is the portion of a property’s assessed value that remains subject to taxation after applicable exemptions. It forms the revenue base used by local governments, while the millage rate is a separate policy decision.

A larger taxable-value base can give the city more options during budget planning. Officials could weigh whether to maintain or change the millage rate, support city services, advance capital improvements or direct resources connected to the city’s five Community Redevelopment Areas.

But the preliminary increase does not mean Daytona Beach has approved a tax increase, finalized spending or committed to a specific project. It also does not mean every property owner’s tax bill will rise by 12%.

An individual bill depends on the property’s assessed value, exemptions and the millage rates adopted by the city and other taxing authorities, including the county, school board and special districts.

The next public checkpoint

The city’s next scheduled budget checkpoint is a workshop on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. The official calendar notice lists the meeting for Conference Room 149B at City Hall, 301 S. Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona Beach.

The workshop is a budget discussion, not proof that a final budget, millage rate, CRA allocation or capital project has been approved. Residents watching the process should focus on later tentative and final millage notices, proposed budget documents and adopted decisions rather than relying only on the preliminary tax-roll percentage.

Sources

• Volusia County Property Appraiser’s 2026 preliminary tax-roll summary
• Daytona Beach City Manager’s Update, July 1, 2026
• Daytona Beach July 29 budget workshop notice