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.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
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.
