Georgia
Georgia Senate passes plan meant to slow increases in property tax bills – WABE
Georgia senators want to limit how much assessed home values can rise for tax purposes, in an election-year effort to hold down property taxes.
The state Senate voted 42-7 on Thursday for Senate Bill 349, which would limit increases in a home’s value, as assessed for property tax purposes, to 3% per year. The limit would last as long as owners maintain a homestead exemption, typically as long as they own a home.
Voters would have to approve the plan in a November referendum.
“It is to prevent people from being taxed out of their homes,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Hufstetler, the Rome Republican sponsoring the measure. “Their income is often not going up with the taxes, which are going up by the hundreds or thousands of dollars.”
Property taxes are a hot issue for many Georgia lawmakers this year, facing complaints that bills have steadily risen along with home values. And Georgia is far from the only state where lawmakers are reacting to voter discontent over higher levies, with states including Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Pennsylvania seeing the issue take center stage over the past year.
But it’s not clear if the Senate approach will pass, in part because the House has a different property tax cut plan.
House members earlier this month voted 162-0 for a bill that would increase the statewide homestead tax exemption to $4,000 from the current $2,000. That could save some homeowners $100 a year on the tax bills, but it would not apply in some counties that already have local homestead tax exemptions. It’s unclear how many homeowners the measure would benefit.
Key House lawmakers have said they don’t want to impose a statewide cap on valuations, instead allowing such decisions to made locally. Another bill progressing in the House would allow an optional 3% value cap in any county without further legislation.
Republicans in Georgia have long pushed local governments to roll back tax rates to keep bills level, even requiring advertisements labeling a failure to do so as a tax increase. Supporters say a cap on homes’ taxable value would keep school districts, cities and counties from increasing tax revenues by relying on rising values.
“If they raise taxes now, they would have to do it through the front door, and not the back door,” Hufstetler said.
Already, at least 39 Georgia counties, 35 cities and 27 school systems have adopted local laws limiting how much assessed values can rise, according to the Association of County Commissions of Georgia. Some of those limits only benefit homeowners 65 or older.
While the county commissioners’ group has endorsed the plan, the Georgia School Board Association opposes it, saying decisions should be made locally. For most taxpayers, school taxes are the largest part of the property tax bill.
Many governments and school districts have spent the windfall from rising values to increase employee pay and cover inflation-swollen expenses. A 3% cap could mean that governments would have to raise tax rates instead. In states including California and Colorado, property tax limits have been blamed for hamstringing local governments.
“Their concern is districts are going to have a challenge keeping teacher salaries in line with inflation,” said state Sen. Nikki Merrit, a Lawrenceville Democrat who opposed the measure.
School districts could raise tax rates to make up for lost growth in property values, but most school districts can’t raise tax rates above a certain level. According to data kept by the Georgia School Superintendents Association, some districts are already at or near the tax rate cap.
Statistics show overall property tax collections rose 41% from 2018 to 2022 in Georgia. During that same period, total assessed value of property statewide rose by nearly 39%. Those Georgia Department of Revenue figures represent not only existing property but also new buildings. So they don’t clearly state how much valuations rose on existing homes.
Because the caps could hold down values more the longer someone owns a home, they could result in long-term residents paying lower taxes than newcomers. That’s already the case in some Georgia communities with local caps.
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Carolina Panthers and Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King agreed to an undrafted free-agent contract at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft. The deal includes $250,000 in guaranteed money, according to a league source.
King was known for being a human wrecking ball of a quarterback, putting his body at risk for the team’s sake, with the endorsement of his coaches. It worked great in college, turning Georgia Tech from a losing program to a Top-25 team. He passed for 2,951 yards and ran for 953 in his final season, finishing second among power-conference quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns with 15.
But it would be a very hard style to replicate in the NFL. King, at 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, does have good throwing abilities, averaging 9.9 yards per attempt over his three seasons as Georgia Tech’s starter. So his overall passing numbers may have been higher if he didn’t run it so much (520 carries over those three years.)
King is also 25, after six years in college (three at Georgia Tech, three at Texas A&M), so he’s not much of a developmental guy. But his skill set is so unique, and his intangibles so good, that he offers intrigue on the pro level.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
King ranked No. 231 overall, and as the No. 9 quarterback, on Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“King needs to see things much clearer and faster to make it at the NFL level, but his competitive toughness, dual-threat skill set and diligence as a worker give him a chance to become an NFL backup.”
How he fits
Dan Morgan started the offseason by saying the Panthers would be open to bringing in backup quarterbacks who could make plays with their arms and their feet. Enter King, who in 2024 became the first player to finish with at least 2,000 passing yards and 10 or more TD passes, with a 70 completion percentage and two or fewer interceptions. King then topped it by winning the ACC Player of the Year in 2025, finishing as the only Power 4 quarterback with five games of 100-plus yards both passing and rushing.
Depth chart impact
King will start at the bottom of what is suddenly a crowded quarterback depth chart after the Panthers traded Andy Dalton and brought in Kenny Pickett, Will Grier and King. Pickett is the clear No. 2, while King will compete for the third spot with Grier, a third-round pick of the Panthers in 2019 who returned to his hometown team this week. Starting with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, King will be fun to watch in preseason games, which often feature younger quarterbacks scrambling for big plays.
Fast evaluation
Because of King’s skill set and what Morgan said in January, I had him coming to Carolina in the sixth round in my last Panthers mock. Canales doesn’t like to use Young on quarterback sneaks. That could be a role for the 6-2, 211-pound King in a Taysom Hill-type package. The Panthers value versatile players across their roster. Now they have one at quarterback.
The Bengals used the final pick of the fourth round on Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young, who might have gone higher than No. 140 overall if not for an off-the-field red flag.
“I think Colbie is just an outstanding complement [to the receivers the Bengals have],” coach Zac Taylor said, via a livestream from the team. “Fortunate to get him in the fourth round. We obviously had a higher value on him than where we actually got him. I just think he’s a great target for Joe [Burrow], great catch radius. Can use him in a lot of different ways.”
Young missed nine games to end the 2024 season after his arrest on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault on an unborn child. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct in January 2025 after his accuser recanted her statement, and the initial charges were dropped.
Young served 12 months’ probation, paid a $500 fine and attended a family violence intervention program.
Taylor said the team did its “due diligence” and that “if we didn’t feel comfortable, we wouldn’t have done it.”
“Just talking to all the humans we talked to that really stood on the table for him, and Georgia returned him to play,” Taylor said. “So Georgia went through the whole process, returned him to play. So just felt really comfortable with the person we’re adding to our locker room, the person we’re adding to our community. Just all of us getting to know the kid. Just feel really, really comfortable with bringing Colbie in here.”
Young fractured his left fibula and tore a ligament, which required surgery and sidelined him for six games last season. He finished his final college season with 26 receptions for 358 yards and a touchdown.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette with the 85th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It is their second pick in the third round, using their first (No. 76 overall) on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
Everette is one of the fastest players in the draft, running a 4.38 40 at the NFL Combine. Additionally, he had a RAS (Real Athletic Score) of 9.89/10. He had five interceptions in his career with the Bulldogs.
The Steelers’ cornerback room is now as deep as any in the NFL. Along with Joey Porter Jr, Pittsburgh re-signed Asante Samuel Jr and signed Jamel Dean in free agency. They also have Brandin Echols, who was productive in 2025. Everette now joins that group with the hopes of him becoming a solid contributor, but without the pressure of needing to get a big snap count right away.
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