Sen. John Albers Issues Statement on Local Property Tax Legislation

ATLANTA (June 24, 2026) - Today, Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) released the following statement after the Senate failed to secure the two-thirds vote required to advance several local property tax measures to the November ballot:

"I know how hard Georgia families are working to make ends meet," said Sen. Albers. "Yesterday, Senate Democrats chose to deny Georgians, including many of their own constituents, the right to vote on property tax relief. At a time when families are facing rising costs and homeownership is increasingly difficult to achieve, Georgians deserve the opportunity to vote on measures that could help keep the American Dream within reach.

These bills did not impose a new tax or automatically change anyone's property taxes. They simply would have allowed local voters to consider whether to adopt a local option sales tax in exchange for reducing their property tax burden. Now, voters will not have the opportunity to decide the issue for themselves this November.

When I first came to the Senate, one lesson that stood out to me was that local legislation should be guided by the lawmakers who know their communities best. That longstanding tradition has served this institution well because it respects local control and the people we were elected to represent. Departing from that principle sets a precedent that could affect every member of this body, regardless of party.

While I believe this outcome does a disservice to hardworking Georgians, I remain committed to advancing policies that make Georgia more affordable and put taxpayers first. We should always be legislating for people over politics."

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Sen. John Albers serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Safety. He represents the 56^th Senate District, which includes portions of Cherokee, Cobb and Fulton County. He may be reached at his office at 404.463.8055 or by email at [email protected].

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