
Chattooga County property owners seeing major increases on their 2026 assessment notices should not assume their property tax bills will increase by the same percentage.

Chattooga County property owners seeing major increases on their 2026 assessment notices should not assume their property tax bills will increase by the same percentage.

The Walker County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called work session next week to continue discussions surrounding the county’s upcoming budget and millage rate.
The work session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, at 1 p.m. in the conference room of the Walker County Administration Building, Courthouse Annex I, located at 101 S. Duke Street in LaFayette.
According to the meeting agenda, commissioners will focus on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget and millage rate.
The agenda calls for Chairwoman Teems to open the meeting, followed by attendance and discussion of the FY2027 budget and millage rate. The meeting will adjourn following that discussion.
The special called work session is open to the public.
Walker County says anyone requiring assistance to participate in the meeting due to a disability should contact the County Clerk prior to the meeting.
The meeting comes as county commissioners continue working through financial decisions that will determine spending priorities and the property tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year.

With 2026 property assessment notices arriving in mailboxes across Chattooga County, property owners are being reminded that September 14 is the deadline to appeal their assessment if they believe their property has been incorrectly valued.

Chattooga County Tax Commissioner Joy Hampton is addressing concerns from property owners who are seeing higher or unexpected values on their assessment notices, while also explaining how upcoming tax relief measures and FLOST sales tax revenue will affect final tax bills.

Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen is asking residents to remain patient after many property owners recently received their annual property assessment notices showing increases in assessed values.

Property owners across Chattooga County are beginning to receive their 2026 Property Assessment Notices in the mail, but local officials want residents to understand that these notices are not property tax bills.

The Walker County Board of Education plans to adopt a full rollback millage rate of 14.013 mills during its meeting on Monday, August 17.
According to information released by Walker County Schools, the rollback rate is calculated using the previous year’s millage rate minus the millage equivalent of the total net assessed value added through property reassessments.
A public hearing on the proposed 2026 millage rate will be held at 6 p.m. on August 17 in the boardroom of the Walker County Department of Education, located at 301 N. Cherokee Street in LaFayette.
School district officials say they continue to work to balance the growing needs of students with efforts to keep local taxes as low as possible while also maximizing state funding.
Walker County Schools noted that over the past six years, the district has either lowered or maintained its millage rate. In 2019, the rate stood at 17.404 mills. For 2026, the district plans to adopt the full rollback rate of 14.013 mills.
All concerned citizens are invited to attend the public hearing.

Property owners across Chattooga County are beginning to receive their 2026 property assessment notices in the mail, but county officials say those notices should not be mistaken for a tax bill.

Walker County commissioners are considering several options to fund nine additional firefighter positions, including a potential property tax increase or higher public safety fees. The discussion took place during a special called meeting as county leaders continue work on the fiscal year 2027 budget.
County officials say adding nine firefighters would allow each fire engine to respond with a minimum of three firefighters, improving staffing levels and emergency response. To pay for the positions, one option discussed would increase the county millage rate by about 9% in unincorporated areas and 11% in incorporated areas. Another proposal would increase the county’s public safety fee, including eliminating the current $600 annual cap for larger homes.
Commissioners also discussed reducing the number of new positions, using reserve funds, or combining several funding options. Officials noted that although Walker County’s property tax digest has grown significantly over the past several years, repeated millage rate rollbacks have kept county property tax revenue relatively flat.
No decision has been made. Any increase in the millage rate would require public hearings before commissioners could take a final vote. The next Walker County Commission meeting is scheduled for August 6.