COVINGTON, Ga. — Covington Mayor Fleeta Baggett announced a plan to end property taxes for homeowners.
To pay the city’s revenue needs, Baggett is proposing to make up the budget difference with revenue from an Amazon data center currently being built in Covington.
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In a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News, Baggett said the proposal is meant to generate significant property tax payments for the city while also creating an opportunity to shift the tax burden away from residents.
“This is exactly the kind of economic growth we’ve been working toward—growth that directly benefits the people who call Covington home,” Baggett said. “Because of the revenue generated by the Amazon data center, we now have a real opportunity to eliminate city property taxes for individual homeowners.”
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The statement from the mayor said she plans to formally request City Council pass a resolution to begin this process at their Jan. 20 meeting, eliminating the property taxes for individual homeowners with a 100% homestead exemption.
Baggett said if the resolution is passed, it would then need to get the Georgia General Assembly’s approval, as required by law.
Then, should lawmakers give the OK, Covington voters would have to give a final approval via a referendum vote.
“My goal is simple,” Baggett said. “I want to remove this burden from our city residents while continuing to deliver high-quality city services. This investment allows us to do both responsibly and sustainably.”
The mayor also said the change she’s proposing is about fairness, saying that when major employers and investments are brought to Covington, “our residents should see real, tangible benefits.”
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