Stephens-Day creator proposes new homestead exemption for Chatham County School District

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — It has been 25 years since Georgia Rep. Ron Stephens (R-164) created and co-authored the Stephens-Day homestead exemption, freezing property taxes for Chatham County homeowners.
The model still stands, and it freezes taxes for every municipality or district except school district.
Rep. Stephens' latest idea, now House Bill (HB) 782, would change that in the 2026 tax year if the people for it.
'It would make the county, school board, Port Wentworth, Garden City, Bloomingdale, Tybee Island, Vernonburg, all those of cities the same so they would know exactly what their property taxes are going be the next year, and it is essentially a freeze,' Stephens said.
He said the bill, known as the Chatham County Schools' Tax Relief Act, gives homeowners more predictability in their taxes, freezing them to what they were the previous year.
'We've gotten to the point, with this rapid growth in our area, that people are looking for some sort of predictability on their property taxes,' he said.
HB 782 must pass a vote in the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate before it makes the ballot this November.
'For the first time, if you vote for it, this November, for the first time in 2026, you're going to know exactly what your property taxes are going to be from the previous year,' said Stephens.
HB 782 will face its first hurdle in the house Tuesday.
Representatives Jesse Petrea (R-166), Carl Gilliard (D-162) and Bill Hitchens (R-161) are co-sponsoring the bill.
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