Laurens County residents got tax estimates in the mail this week that were too high because of a mistake by the county.
💰 Why It Matters: You might think your property taxes are going up by hundreds of dollars, but that’s not true. The real bill will likely be much lower when it comes out later this year.
📋 What Went Wrong: The Tax Assessor’s Office used an old tax rate from two years ago instead of last year’s rate. The old rate of 6.69 mills made your taxes look much higher than the actual rate of 5.74 mills from last year.
What is the Millage Rate?: The millage rate is your property tax rate. Your city, county, and school system all set a millage rate. That combined number becomes your overall property tax rate. One mill represents $1 of tax on every $1,000 of taxable property.
🔍 The Bottom Line: Your real property tax bill won’t come until late August or September. County leaders will set the actual tax rate then, and it will likely be closer to last year’s lower rate than the scary number you just got in the mail.
📊 By The Numbers: The difference between the rates means if you got an estimate for $1,000 in taxes, your real bill might be closer to $858 based on last year’s rate.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
