Are You Disabled on SSI/SSDI and Paying Property Tax on your home in Athens?
Good day all!
My question is geared to putting together information for our local delegation in the General Assembly, the Mayor and Commission, and the School Board on the impact of rising property taxes on disabled homeowners who are relying on social security disability payments to live.
Background: Earlier this year I submitted a proposal to Rep Gaines to address property tax relief for low income and disabled homeowners in Athens-Clarke County.
There were three asks in the proposal:
1. Fix the 2022 law that enabled the low-income homestead exemption so that the qualifying income levels would not be fixed at 2022 levels as published by the federal government.
This was fixed in HB 1595 -Clarke County; school district ad valorem tax; revise how income cap is calculated, with bi-partisan sponsorship from our local delegation. It passed both chambers of the general assembly unanimously (as most local legislation does) and has been sent to the Governor for signature. See https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74327
2. Extend the low-income homestead exemption to school taxes as well.
This did not go anywhere.
3. Create a Homestead exemption for disabled homeowners who are on SSI/SSDI to at least treat them as same as those retired at age 65, and get the same floating exemption they get on school taxes.
Nothing happened on this.
If you feel comfortable, would you please send me a DM with more details on your situation like u/WholeConfidence8947 posted in another thread so that I can include it (see https://www.reddit.com/r/Athens/comments/1t50hc0/how_much_do_u_pay_for_rent_and_what_do_you_do_for/ .
You can rename anonymous. I am just trying to gather information that can show what the impact on property tax collections might be if such an exemption was enacted.
If you have concerns whether I am a legitimate human being that is just not harvesting data, my main web site is at https://koconfessional.substack.com/ and here are some of the changes I have gotten for disabled students at UGA and in the University System of Georgia after being told it would be near impossible to do so:
Got UGA to change the credit hour requirement for Presidential Scholars/Dean's List Recognition so that disabled students with a reduced courseload accommodation would qualify.
Got the statute governing the HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarships changed so that disabled students who needed longer than the statutory limitation to use the scholarship for seven years after high school graduation date that was set in 2012/2013, later changed to 10 years, could apply for extensions to comply with the Higher Education Act to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.
And no, I am not saying this to "toot my own horn," but to make clear that the worst thing a bureaucracy can tell me is "No" because I will fight as long as it takes to get positive change.
Thanks all!