Are Your Woodstock City Taxes Really Going Down?
Reader note: This is my attempt to explain something that can sound confusing or scary (EEEEEK, TAXES! RUN AWAY!). Don’t worry—I’ve made two versions so you can pick your pace.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
The city services rate would dip a hair and the parks-bond rate would tick up to make this year’s payment. Add them together and your city bill changes by about $17–$22 a year. What matters now is whether we can see where every dollar goes—and whether it’s spent on what Woodstock families actually need.
Full version (for people who want the details)
At last week’s City Council meeting, the mayor called a proposed tax rate “historic.” He said the city’s M&O rate could be the lowest in 30+ years. That sounds big. So I pulled the numbers to see what it means for a normal family—if the council adopts it.
Quick decoder: property taxes are measured in mills. One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of your taxable home value. In Georgia, homes are usually taxed on 40% of market value. So if your house is worth $500,000, the taxable amount is $200,000—and each mill is about $200.
And M&O? That stands for Maintenance & Operations—the day-to-day costs to run the city: police and fire, 911, street paving, sidewalks, traffic signals, parks upkeep, permitting, code, planning, finance, IT, fuel, equipment, utilities, training. (That’s different from debt service, like the parks bond, which is its own line and can’t be used for anything else.)
Now the real story, in plain English. Think of your city bill like a stereo with two dials:
Dial 1: City services (M&O). This pays for the everyday work that keeps Woodstock running.
Dial 2: Parks bond. Voters approved this in 2023 to build and improve parks and trails; this dial only pays the loan back.
This year’s proposal turns the M&O dial down a notch and the parks-bond dial up a notch to make the scheduled bond payment. When you add the two dials together, the total city rate would go down a hair compared to last year if adopted.
What does that look like on a real bill? For a typical $500,000 homesteaded home, here’s an example:
M&O at 5.093 mills (rollback, if adopted): about $1,018.60
M&O at 5.065 mills (lower option, if adopted): about $1,013.00
Parks bond: Last year was 0.454 mills (about $90.80 on this example). In staff slides, 0.54 mills was shown as the required level for FY26 debt service; the current proposal is 0.50 mills (about $100.00 on this example).
Totals for the city portion only (example):
Last year: about $1,135.40
This year if 5.093 M&O + 0.50 parks is adopted: about $1,118.60
This year if 5.065 M&O + 0.50 parks is adopted: about $1,113.00
Bottom line: That “historic cut” works out to about $17–$22 less for the year—under $2 a month on the city slice of your bill. The M&O line would go down a little; the parks-bond line would go up a little; your total city taxes would change very little.
Two dials, same song. The rate dips, the bond rises, and your bill barely moves. The real work is spending every dollar in the open—on traffic, safety, parks, and housing regular folks can afford.
Here’s another key point: even with that small rate dip, the city still collects more total dollars than last year. Woodstock is growing. New homes and businesses get added to the tax base, so total revenue rises even when the rate nudges down. That’s normal in a fast-growing city.
Where does the city money go? The M&O side keeps daily life running close to home—public safety, streets and traffic, parks maintenance and programs, basic city services, and equipment/capital needs. Parks-bond dollars are legally restricted to paying for the specific park and trail projects voters approved; they cannot be used for general operations. And remember: your county and school taxes are separate and usually make up the biggest share of your overall bill. On city rates, Woodstock is middle-of-the-pack among nearby cities; some are lower, some higher, and each funds a different mix of services.
So what does this mean for Woodstock? If the city is collecting more overall because of growth, the honest conversation is how we spend it—on traffic fixes that actually move the needle, on public safety that keeps pace with growth, on parks and trails people can use, and on attainable housing so teachers, firefighters, seniors, and young families can afford to stay.
My Pledge:
If I’m elected, I will introduce and champion two simple tools:
a one-page, plain-language “Last Year vs. This Year” example bill every budget cycle, and
a live, public parks-bond project tracker showing each project’s budget, status, and timeline.
If Council declines, I will publish a Mayor’s Transparency Report with the same info using public records and post regular updates so residents can track every dollar.
Your Call to Action:
Show up & speak: Mon, Sept. 8, 7:00 p.m. — Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main St. (scheduled; check the posted agenda before you go)
Say this: “Publish an example bill every year and a public scorecard for each parks-bond project (budget • status • timeline).”
Bring two neighbors. If you can’t attend, share this post and email marthajeanformayor@gmail.com with subject Hearing.
