Peachtree City Council unanimously backs 2027 voter referendum on sales tax to cut homeowner property taxes

Peachtree City homeowners could one day pay no city property taxes at all — but getting there requires the Georgia General Assembly, and then the voters themselves, to say yes. The City Council cleared the first hurdle Thursday, voting 5-0 to ask state lawmakers to put the question on the Nov. 2, 2027, ballot.

The proposal is a Local Homestead Option Sales Tax, or LHOST: a new 1% sales tax levied within Peachtree City for 10 years, with the revenue dedicated to a homestead exemption from city property taxes. Under the draft legislation included in the council's agenda packet, if voters approve the referendum, the exemption would take effect Jan. 1, 2028.

Thursday's vote is not a tax increase. A memo from the city clerk in the packet was explicit: the resolution 'does not impose a tax, endorse a referendum, or create any financial obligation.' What it does is formally request that the General Assembly pass a local act authorizing the referendum — a necessary step under state law before any vote can happen.

The state law angle matters for a specific reason: Fayette County is separately pursuing its own LHOST referendum. Under Georgia law, a city only shares in LHOST money if a local act passed by the General Assembly specifically names it. Peachtree City's resolution is how it gets named.

Separately, a law signed by the Georgia Governor — which took effect May 13 — already increased the existing homestead exemption from Peachtree City ad valorem taxes for residents 65 and older, raising the exemption from $5,000 to $30,000 of assessed value and lifting the income cap to qualify from $30,000 to $60,000, according to Bloomberg Tax. That change applies beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The LHOST proposal being advanced Thursday is a broader, separate measure aimed at all homeowners.

Mayor Kim Learnard and council members Laura Johnson, Suzanne Brown, Clinton Holland, and Michael Polacek all attended Thursday's work session. Every item that came to a vote passed 5-0.

Beyond the LHOST resolution, the council approved a 30% design plan for a rebuilt Kedron pool facility, featuring a competition pool of roughly 4,800 square feet and an instructional pool of about 2,565 square feet. A splash pad and sun deck are listed as an optional addition. The design now advances to completion.

The council also awarded a $234,500 contract to engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol to design a multi-use path bridge over State Route 54 East near Walt Banks Road, Carriage Lane, and Robinson Road. Funding comes from the 2023 SPLOST. Concept plans will return to the council and the Transportation Advisory Group for comment.

In a separate action, the council sided with the Airport Authority of Peachtree City in a dispute over fire safety rules at Atlanta Regional Airport-Falcon Field. The city's code requires sprinklers and fire-rated walls between units in new commercial buildings of 5,000 square feet or more. The fire marshal and fire chief had applied those rules to new hangar rows in 'Area D.' The Airport Authority appealed, arguing the hangars should be evaluated under NFPA 409 — the national standard specific to aircraft hangars — rather than the general commercial code. The authority's letter specified the appeal covers this project only and is not 'a blanket exemption.' The council approved the appeal, allowing the hangars to proceed under the aircraft-specific standard.

The council's next meeting is a quarterly session at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at City Hall. On the agenda: how to select members of the 2027 comprehensive plan steering committee. The planning director's memo carries no recommendation, according to peachtreecitydaily.com.

Why it matters — If the General Assembly acts and voters say yes in 2027, Peachtree City homeowners could see their city property tax bills sharply reduced — or eliminated — starting in 2028, paid for by a broader 1% sales tax on purchases within the city.

Reported by peachtreecitydaily.com, citizenportal.ai, peachtree-city.org, thecitizen.com, fayette-news.net, news.bloombergtax.com