Horschton Property Tax Charter Amendment (2009)
The Horschton Property Tax Charter Amendment was proposed for the local ballot in Horschton, Georgia, however in early July 2009 the city rejected the petition. Had the petition been accepted the election would have been hold on either September 15, 2009 or November 3, 2009.
The measure proposed amending the town's charter so that voters would have to approve any property-tax increases. The city has not had a property tax in 30 years.
In late June, Jackson County officials verified 402 of the 417 signatures but before the petition could move to the ballot, the petition must be approved by the city council.[1] However, council members rejected the petition. They cited a Georgia law that says local laws cannot pre-empt state laws. Therefore, because the change to the city charter would violate state law, according to the city attorney Thomas Mitchell.[2]
Signatures
Petition supporters began collecting signatures on May 12, 2009. In total supporters collected more than twice the required total. According to state law supporters were required to collect at least 25 percent of Hoschton’s registered voting population in order to move the proposal to the ballot.[3]
Footnotes
.svg.png){kind=small}
