Richmond Hill homeowners looking at their property tax bill may notice a big change from previous years.

That’s because, for 2026, the City of Richmond Hill has decided to nix the annual fire services fee that has appeared in previous years. This decision is due to the terms reached in a recent class action settlement, where, as a result, fire protection services will instead be funded directly through the City’s property tax rate. Before, homeowners paid $225 and commercial properties $600 yearly.

This year, the annual fire fee will be replaced by a 1.100 mill property tax to provide funding for fire services. The change is one of funding rather than operations, according to Dawnne Greene, city clerk.

“This change will not affect the standards, the service, or the operation of the fire department whatsoever,” Greene said.

In addition, the City is proposing an additional 0.833 mill property tax to offset some of the settlement payment made in the lawsuit. Together, these two additions change the millage rate by 1.933 mills.

Two rollbacks, explained below, offset much of that. The proposed rate for 2026 is 4.981 mills, up from 3.981 last year — a net increase of one mill, or $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value. Nothing is final until Council votes following the third public hearing on Sept. 1.

However, city officials are keen to stress that, although the legal notice required by state law may show a huge jump numerically, most homeowners will actually see a reduction in what they pay the City compared to 2025.

City figures show many homeowners who paid the fire fee will owe less overall, assuming their assessed value has not changed. Homesteaded properties are now shielded from steep value increases by House Bill 581; commercial properties, rentals and vacant land are not.

State law requires the City of Richmond Hill to adjust, or “rollback”, its millage rate to account for increases in property values from reassessments. This year, the calculated rollback for assessed property values is 0.293 mills. From that, the City is proposing to retain 0.123 mills to address a projected revenue shortfall, resulting in a net rollback of only 0.170 mills.

FLOST (Floating Local Option Sales Tax) also has a role to play: the City will also reduce the millage rate by 0.763 mills to reflect five months of revenue received from FLOST. The split of those collections between the City and Bryan County was negotiated separately from the county’s transportation sales tax, or TSPLOST.

“When we were doing our split of how we shared the sales tax for FLOST, we agreed to allow the county to get a larger percentage of that sales tax than even TSPLOST,” said Chris Lovell, city manager. “Any rollback the county gets on property taxes benefits everyone in the county, not just our residents.”

Property owners who paid the fire fee in past years may be eligible for refunds, depending on a motion now pending before the Superior Court. If it is granted, refunds would be reduced by attorney and administrative fees. More details will be provided after the Court issues a ruling, and the City will post updates at richmondhill-ga.gov/gov-legal.

More information, including a frequently asked questions page and a video explaining the proposed rate in more detail, will be available on the City’s website at www.RichmondHill-ga.gov.

Three public hearings will be held on Thurs, Aug. 20 (10 a.m., 2 p.m.) and Tues. Sept. 1 (6 p.m.) at City Council, Council Chambers for those wanting to learn more or share their thoughts.