Tift County to place temporary timber tax‑relief measure on consent agenda

County Manager Jim Carter told the Tift County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 that staff will place Resolution No. 2025‑20 — which implements temporary ad valorem tax relief for eligible standing timber under the Timberlands Recovery, Exemption and Earnings Stability (TREES) Act — on the Sept. 8 consent agenda.

Carter said the TREES Act was adopted in response to devastation from Hurricane Helene and allows local governing authorities to grant temporary tax relief for the final quarter of 2024 and for each quarter of 2025. The Georgia Department of Revenue will provide a grant to local governments that grant relief; the state grant allocation is based on local revenue loss, the local authority’s revenue over the previous three years and estimated timber damage. Tift County’s three‑year average used in the formula is $19,350.44, Carter said.

The board indicated its desire to place the resolution on the consent agenda for the Sept. 8 meeting. No formal vote on the resolution was recorded at the Sept. 2 work session. If the county adopts temporary relief, the county will follow the state grant application and reporting process described by the Georgia Department of Revenue.

The matter will appear on the board’s consent agenda at its Sept. 8 meeting; the agenda packet should record the final resolution text, any eligibility criteria and whether the county will apply the full relief authorized by the act.