A Georgia Tech study on Liberty County’s taxes revealed the value of a home to pay for itself.
The Liberty County Development Authority commissioned the study on the county’s tax structure, and the results from the Georgia Tech Center for Economic Development Research showed a home needed to be valued at $258,000 in fiscal year 2024 for its property taxes to cover the cost of the county services an average home consumes.
For that fiscal year, the average home value in Liberty County was $178,000.
The study also delivered a number of takeaways, and its findings included the county residential digest does not generate enough revenue to cover the costs of the services it consumes, which is typical for most counties. For every dollar the residential digest brings in revenue, it costs $1.20 to provide services. That cost for commercial and industrial property is only 58 cents. It also called on the LCDA to diversify and grow its commercial and industrial digests.
The county’s population, because of Fort Stewart’s influence, also is younger and more male than neighboring counties and Georgia as a whole. Liberty’s median age is 28.7 years, compared to 36-37 in neighboring counties, the study showed, and Liberty’s population is nearly 52% male.
In its analysis, the Georgia Tech group said Liberty County has a relatively high effective property tax rate compared to neighboring counties, in part due to lower property values and high number of disabled veterans tax exemptions.
“Our community is deeply grateful for the service and sacrifice of our military veterans and their families. Their contributions to our country — and here in Liberty County — are immeasurable, and we are proud to have so many choosing to stay here after retirement,” remarked state Representative and LCDA board Chairman Al Williams. “With their service in mind and at heart, we commit ourselves to the work of growing a strong and diversified commercial and industrial tax base to ensure our county can continue to support essential services and infrastructure while honoring those who have given so much.”
Some peer communities the study used, such as Montgomery County in Tennessee, near Fort Campbell, face similar negative competitive effects with its property tax rates. About 13%, or $204 million, of Liberty’s residential tax digest is non-taxable because of the tax exemptions for disabled veterans. That figure is about 1-4% for neighboring counties, and the study said that shows a need for Liberty to grow its commercial digest for additional tax revenue.
Liberty County also is growing in population, income and home values, but not nearly the rate as its neighbors or the rest of the state, according to the study.
Government jobs make up the bulk of employment in the county, about 64%, the study said.
“This is unique to Liberty County and not a common thread across the observed military communities,” the study said, “as its peers have more diverse local economies.
Neighboring counties have relative strengths in utilities, manufacturing, and transportation and warehousing. The findings, the Georgia Tech group said, point to a need for Liberty County “to grow its commercial and industrial digest as the population grows. Balanced growth ensures long-term financial health for the county.”
The Georgia Tech Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR) looked at a cost of community services analysis for the county’s fiscal year 2024 budget and conducted a comprehensive and economic analysis of Liberty, its surrounding counties and peer counties. Those peer counties were Dale County, Alabama (Fort Rucker), Jefferson County, New York (Fort Drum), Montgomery County, Tennessee (Fort Campbell), Riley County, Kansas (Fort Riley), and Muscogee County (Fort Benning).
Those bases were chosen because of their similar size or function, population densities and cost-ofliving adjusted wages.
CEDR’s study showed Liberty’s millage rates are higher than those in Bryan, Bulloch and Effingham counties.
In their study, CEDR pointed out that new developments increase a local government’s tax base, but an increased tax base does not always result in an improved financial position.
“Commercial and industrial developments typically improve the financial situation of the local government,” the study said. “However, residential development often has the opposite effect by introducing new demand for government services.”
Georgia Tech’s study showed nearly two-thirds of the county’s more than 32,000 parcels of land are zoned for residential use. Agricultural uses account for more than threefourths, or more than 143,000 acres, of the county’s total 187,362 acres.
The net taxable value on the entire digest for 2023 was nearly $1.9 billion, and it was almost $1.1 billion alone on residential property.