GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County homeowners are challenging their property values in growing numbers, and the county wants more panels to hear the cases.
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Commissioners vote Tuesday on a resolution asking the Grand Jury to appoint additional Boards of Equalization, the citizen panels that decide tax appeals. The county has run five since 2011. The request would raise that to eight.
“The boards hear tax appeals, and the way this would help is to serve the citizens better,” said Tiana Garner, the Gwinnett County Clerk of Courts. “It’s just to prevent any potential backlogs.”
Each board has three members and one alternate, Garner said. In a memo to commissioners, she wrote that growth in the number and complexity of appeals has significantly increased the workload, and that an eighth board would help the county hear cases within the timeframes state law requires.
Lisa Ramsey is one of the people waiting. The Sugar Hill homeowner has paid taxes on the same house for more than 20 years, and said the county’s value on it has climbed almost 80% since 2021.
“We are in a very desirable area, but that doesn’t negate the burden of the tax,” Ramsey said.
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Realtor JR Crego said eight of his 12 Gwinnett clients from last year were grossly over-assessed in his opinion. He said the county appears to lean on list prices rather than closed sales.
“Show up in person to these boards and bring your info with you,” Crego said. “These boards are made up of just citizens that live in Gwinnett County and own a house as well.”
Real estate agent Amy Parris Cook helps homeowners build appeals, and said most cases go wrong before anyone reaches a hearing.
“Make sure that you don’t just randomly pull up things that you think are comparable to your home,” Cook said.
The appeal deadline for this year has passed. Notices go out again next May.
“Gwinnett County is ready for you,” Garner said.
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