Comparing Tax Rates in Gwinnett Cities

The City Of Suwanee is preparing to lower its 2012 tax millage rate to 4.93, which would be the third straight year it has dropped the property tax benchmark. Duluth earlier adopted the same tax millage rate it has had in effect for 2010 and 2011.

So how do city tax millage rates compare in Gwinnett County?

Some examples:

• Peachtree Corners, 0.85 mills.

• Lawrenceville, 2.16.

• Lilburn 4.45 (up from 4.26)

• Snellville, 5.0 (down from 5.7)

• Dacula, 5.7 (up from 5.128)

• Duluth, 5.991 (unchanged).

Most of Gwinnett's 800,000-plus residents live in unincorporated areas, and so the county's rate determines their tax bill. The county's rate is 13.02, according to Gwinnett spokesperson Joe Sorenson. It's the same for unincorporated and incorporated areas.

However, the settlement of the Service Delivery Strategy dispute this year will come into play in the future, Sorenson added. In 2013, service districts will be set up, and the total county millage rate will be different for different areas in the county based on the service districts applied to an area.

The county recently mailed tax bills. Payments are due Oct. 15. Duluth mails its city tax bills out Sept. 1 with payments due Nov 30.

A homeowner's property tax bill is determined by a formula that includes the assessed property value. That figure is multiplied by the millage rate, then divided by $1,000.

See also:

Duluth Keeps Same Tax Rate

Various Patch editors in Gwinnett contributed to this report.