The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will raise the millage rate in the Unincorporated areas of the County by 2 mills following the creation of the Chatham County Fire Department, which will lower total costs for 82% of Unincorporated Chatham residents.

This millage increase constitutes a 48.99% increase in property taxes levied in the Special Service District (SSD) fund. The SSD fund helps pay for public safety services, including police and fire, that protect residents living in unincorporated areas of Chatham. The total increase to the Public Safety budget is $21 million for this year. Of that amount, $14 million will come from the property tax increase, and the remaining $7 million will come from other County funds.

Adding these costs to property taxes for Unincorporated Chatham was not a decision made lightly. In the past, unincorporated residents paid for fire services through a separate annual bill called the Fire Fee. That fee was based on the burnable square footage of the property. Now, fire services will be included in your regular property tax bill instead of a separate fee.

For most people, about 82% of unincorporated residents, this change will result in lower overall costs.

Here is an example:

Let’s look at an average-priced home in Whitefield Park neighborhood. This household paid for the fire fee in 2024 at a cost of $268.52, plus an SSD property tax of $89.14. Which means this house paid $357.66 for both the SSD property tax and the fire fee.

This year, under the new millage rate, the same property will pay $128.74 in SSD property taxes. But they won't be paying a fire fee, since fire service is now included in the SSD millage rate. The total savings for this property from 2024 to this year is $228.92.

To help you better understand your own costs, Chatham County has created a free online tool that can estimate your new tax bill.

The safety of our residents is the highest priority of Chatham County Government. We are committed to delivering the best fire and police services while still providing the greatest possible value your tax dollar will buy.

If you’d like to dive deeper into our proposed budget, a detailed breakdown is available by clicking here.