Dawson homeowners face Monday deadline to appeal steep jumps in property values

DAWSON — Terrell County property owners who think their 2026 property values are too high have until Monday to file an appeal. Some Dawson homeowners say the increases on this year’s notices are the largest they have seen.

Lydia Rogers of Dawson said the value of her property rose 215% from last year. She has filed an appeal.

“Several of the Dawson residents are very upset about the high tax assessment,” Rogers said in an interview with The Dawson News.

Reggie Woodham bought his home in Dawson in January 2021. He said he has made no changes to it since. County records show its value rose from $159,049 in 2025 to $359,100 in 2026, an increase of about 126%. The value had not changed from 2022 through 2025.

Woodham grew up on a farm in Alabama and works for American Airlines in Miami. He said he drove all night to Dawson this week to deal with the assessment, and he plans to retire in the house he bought about six years ago.

“Y’all are going to run people out of town because, especially people that are elderly or on fixed income, they’re not going to be able to afford this,” Woodham said he told staff at the assessors office.

Woodham said the higher values come while the town itself is struggling. He said the Huddle House closed soon after he moved to Dawson, Hardee’s has since closed, and the local grocery store changed hands and now has higher prices and less on its shelves. He said buildings downtown are not being kept up.

“The downtown is falling in,” he said.

Woodham, who is weighing whether to sell, said the conditions also make it hard to leave. “It’s not going to be so easy to sell if you have a dying town, high taxes and nothing to do around here,” he said.

Rogers said that other “homes have remained on the market unable to sell even when property prices have been reduced.”

Woodham has held a Florida real estate license for more than 25 years. He estimates his combined county and city bill could approach $7,000 to $8,000. This year’s assessment notices no longer include an estimate of taxes owed, because of a change in state law. Instead they show estimated savings from exemptions.

The Dawson News left a message Friday for Terrell County Chief Appraiser Darlene Paul seeking comment. This story will be updated when she responds.

Woodham said he paid approximately $250,000 for his house, so the county valued it well below his purchase price for years. The 2026 value is about 44% above that price.

Woodham said he also paid $550 for an independent appraisal, and he expects the result soon. He said most Dawson residents cannot afford that.

“That was a lot of money,” he said.

What property records show

The Dawson News reviewed 2026 valuation records for three Dawson residential parcels. All three had held the same value from 2022 through 2025. In each, nearly all of the increase came from the value of the house itself. All three also show new “accessory” values in 2026, where they had shown $0 before: $3,700, $5,800 and $13,960. Accessories are typically outbuildings or other structures. On one parcel, the land value fell, from $10,753 to $6,600.

Georgia law requires counties to assess property at fair market value. HB 581, the 2024 state property tax law, requires each county’s chief appraiser to ensure that every parcel is appraised at least every three years.

Owners are taxed on 40% of the fair market value, multiplied by each government’s millage rate. At $359,100, Woodham’s assessed value would be $143,640.

Woodham was frustrated that the appeal form asks owners what they think their property is worth. The state’s uniform appeal form, PT-311A, requires the owner to state an opinion of value. The appeal itself is decided on evidence of market value.

How to appeal by Monday

• Deadline: Monday, Nov. 9. Assessment notices were mailed Sept. 25, and Georgia gives owners 45 days to appeal.
• How to file: Appeals must be in writing on the proper form and returned by mail or in person at the Terrell County Tax Assessors Office. The office will not accept appeals by email or fax.
• If mailing: The envelope must be postmarked by Nov. 9. Metered mail date stamps do not count as a postmark, so mail it at the post office counter and ask for a postmark.
• In person: The office is open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Which form: Georgia’s PT-311A Appeal of Assessment form. On it, you choose where the appeal goes:
  • the county Board of Equalization, a panel of local residents;
  • an arbitrator, which requires a certified appraisal completed within the past year and submitted within 45 days of filing;
  • a hearing officer, which is only for non-homestead property valued at more than $500,000.
• What to bring: Recent sales of similar homes nearby, photos of repairs the house needs, and an independent appraisal if you have one. Appeals can be based on value, uniformity with similar properties, taxability, or denial of an exemption.
• While the appeal is pending: Georgia bills appealed property temporarily at the lesser of last year’s value or 85% of this year’s value, unless improvements were made. You get a refund or an added bill once the appeal is settled.
• If you win: A value reduced on appeal generally cannot be raised by the assessors for the next two years.
• Homestead: If the home has been your primary residence since Jan. 1 and you have no homestead exemption, you may apply during the same 45-day window. Terrell County offers no local homestead exemptions, only the statewide ones. Ask the tax commissioner about statewide exemptions for seniors.
• Questions: Call the assessors office at (229) 995-5210 and ask for Darlene Paul or Mandy Cooper. Tax bill questions go to the Terrell County Tax Commissioner.

What residents can expect next

Higher values do not automatically mean higher bills. When the tax digest grows, each local government must calculate a rollback millage rate. A government that sets its rate above the rollback rate must advertise a tax increase and hold public hearings.

In January 2025, the Terrell County Board of Education posted notice that it intended to opt out of HB 581’s floating homestead exemption. That exemption limits how fast a homesteaded property’s taxable value can rise.

The Dawson News will continue to follow the appeals and the 2026 digest. Residents can reach Kathryn Crockett at [email protected].