County collected $1.2 billion in property taxes

Gwinnett County collected $1.2 billion in 2018 property taxes, Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner Mike Sweigart said in his 2020 budget presentation last week.

The tax commissioner’s offiffice took in nearly $1.4 billion in payments in 2018, with property taxes making up the lion’s share. Gwinnett County’s property tax revenues increased by about 4.5% between 2017 and 2018, and overall tax revenues were up by 4.14%, according to Sweigart’s presentation. Revenues from car registrations also rose, going from $211 million in 2017 to $215 million in 2018.

The increased revenue is tied to population, Sweigart said. Gwinnett is the second-largest county in metro Atlanta and is experiencing the area’s highest average annual growth, according to a recent Atlanta Regional Commission study. Gwinnett added 15,100 people between 2018 and 2019.

Of the $1.4 billion taken in by the tax commissioner’s offiffice last year, 52% went to the county’s general fund. The second-highest proportion, 18%, goes to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, and 14% goes to “special assessments.” The Gwinnett County Police Department receives 8% of the revenues, and 6% goes to county recreation projects.

Projected tax revenues for 2019 were not included in Sweigart’s presentation. County commissioners briefly mulled raising the tax rate for 2019, but ultimately kept it at the same level this year. More than 321,000 tax bills were sent to property owners at the beginning of August and are due Oct. 15.