A Look at Henry County Ballot Questions for November 2024

Henry County voters will see a number of state and local ballot questions when they vote in the November 2024 election. These questions are in addition to President, US House and county offices. Here is a look at ballot questions in Henry County.

Early voting begins on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Election Day is on Tuesday, November 5. To see who is running for county offices, check out our list of candidates here. Voters can view a sample ballot on the state’s website.

Henry County Ballot Questions November 2024

There are three statewide ballot questions this November. Voters throughout Henry County are also being asked to approve Henry County SPLOST VI. Finally, there are local ballot questions in Locust Grove and Stockbridge.

Jump to a Section:

• Statewide ballot questions
• Henry County SPLOST VI
• Stockbridge homestead exemption
• Locust Grove Mayor & Council
• Locust Grove annexation

Voters throughout Georgia will see three ballot questions. They include the following:

Statewide Ballot Questions

1. Statewide Homestead Exemption
2. Statewide Georgia Tax Court
3. Increase Personal Property Tax Exemption (appears as A on your ballot)

Statewide Homestead Exemption

The homestead exemption question would prevent major increases in homeowners’ property taxes year-to-year solely based on the home’s value. It would achieve this by implementing what’s known as a floating homestead. The floating homestead would limit annual tax increases to the rate of inflation, if the appraised property value increases at a faster rate.

It would apply to school district, county and city taxes; however, local boards and councils have the option to opt-out. If the referendum passes, then local boards have until March 2025 if they choose to opt-out of the homestead. They must hold three public hearings this winter about the topic before they can vote to opt-out.

If the referendum passes, then the vote will enact House Bill 581. This bill contains some administrative changes to how the property value notice, sent in April, will look. It also establishes a new local sales tax counties can then consider. This new sales tax would be strictly for property tax relief. Only counties where every city and the county remains in the floating homestead — they do not opt-out — could ask voters to pass it.

A yes vote would approve the new homestead exemption. A no vote would not enact the statewide homestead exemption.

Georgia Tax Court

The second ballot question seeks to establish a statewide Georgia Tax Court. This question, if passed, would replace the existing tax tribunal found within the executive branch with a tax court in the judicial branch. One area the court would be responsible to hear cases is administrative disputes between businesses and the Georgia Department of Revenue. In addition, this court would then allow business owners to appeal the court’s decision to the Georgia Court of Appeals. Presently, appeals of the tax tribunal must go to Fulton County Superior Court. According to local state reps, this would provide a more timely appeals process for affected businesses.

The court would have one chief judge appointed by the governor. The chief judge would then appoint three associate judges.

A yes vote creates the statewide tax court. A no vote would not create it.

Personal Property Exemption

Thirdly, the state has a personal property exemption question. This would raise the exemption from $7,500 to $20,000. It excludes motor vehicles, trailers and mobile homes. Some examples of personal property include machinery and equipment used by businesses. Many state representatives have voiced this would help support small businesses by lowering their taxes.

A yes vote increases the personal property exemption. A no vote would maintain the existing exemption.

Henry County SPLOST VI

Next, Henry County voters will consider renewing the local SPLOST sales tax. This would be the county’s sixth iteration, or SPLOST VI. The current SPLOST program will end in March 2025. If voters approve it, then SPLOST VI would start collections in April.

The program is estimated to collect $470 million over six years. The county and four cities would each receive a portion of the collections. The proceeds then pay for capital projects, such as county buildings, parks and road improvements.

Some projects on the county’s list include a new animal care shelter, fire rescue facilities & equipment, and park improvements. A number of road projects are also on the list. View the full project list here.

A yes vote approves the SPLOST VI program. A no vote opposes it.

Stockbridge Homestead Exemption

Next, voters in the city of Stockbridge will consider approving a homestead exemption. This would create a new homestead exemption for the city. Specifically, the exemption measures $10,000 for all homeowners, and $15,000 for seniors and residents with septic tanks. This then translates to a tax savings of about $38 for homeowners, and about $56 for seniors and residents with septic tanks.

A yes vote creates the new homestead exemption. A no vote does not create it.

Locust Grove Mayor & Council

Next, voters who reside in the city of Locust Grove have a special election for mayor and council. This is to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Mayor Robert Price. Two candidates for mayor had to resign their council seats, leaving two vacancies, in accordance with state law.

Altogether, there are three candidates for mayor and five candidates for city council. Those candidates include the following:

Locust Grove Mayor

For a term ending in December 2027.

• Carlos Greer
• Bart Hammock
• Vincent Williams

Please note city offices are non-partisan.

Locust Grove Annexation

Finally, about 2,300 residents will have an annexation question. This question is whether they want to join the Locust Grove city limits. The area in question is generally along Locust Road, Indian Creek Road, and a portion of Peeksville Road.

The Locust Grove annexation vote is the result of local legislation in 2024. The city requested the annexation, and state lawmakers carried the measure on their behalf, in an attempt to ”fill-in” the city limits.

If voters pass the annexation referendum, then the pink area will become part of the city effective on December 31, 2024. Residents within the area would then start to receive city services, such as city police. They may also vote in city elections beginning in 2025.

Locust Grove Voting Locations

In August, the county board of elections approved consolidating voting precincts. This consolidation was between the county and Locust Grove precincts. The city council likewise approved this measure in the summer. This plan was passed so voters could vote for federal, state, county and city offices on the ballot. Historically, city election items were on a separate ballot.

Henry County shared this week that voters within Locust Grove, and those who reside in the area voting on annexation, will need to vote on two separate ballots. The first ballot will be for President, US Congress, county offices and all other general election ballot items. The second ballot will be for Locust Grove mayor and council, or annexation, based on where they reside. Voters can complete this during early voting, on Election Day, or by absentee ballot. They can complete this at their regular county polling place.

According to Locust Grove, errors occurred at the county level when compiling the ballot. The specifics of those errors have not been shared.

Featured image shows a map of November 2024 ballot questions in Henry County. Clayton Carte / MHF News map created with Datawrapper.