Roswell's 2026 city tax rate is 5.232 mills, not the 7.732 first proposed: about $65 more than 2025 on a $575,000 home. Bills arrive in October.
Roswell’s city property tax rate for 2026 is 5.232 mills. That is far below the 7.732 mills the city first advertised in September. On the city’s example home, worth $575,000, the city part of the bill rises about $65 from last year.
Updated Oct. 16: The proposed 2027 budget, which the city said it would present Oct. 13, was not on that meeting’s agenda and has not been posted.
The City Council adopted the rate by a 4-2 vote on Sept. 28, according to the city’s meeting recap. The meeting agenda had listed an ordinance for 5.900 mills for the second reading. The council settled on the lower figure after three public hearings and a question-and-answer meeting for residents on Sept. 16.
What changed and what did not
The rate has two parts. The city’s Sept. 30 release sets them out:
- Maintenance and operations: 4.049 mills, unchanged from 2025. This pays for police, fire, parks, roads and the rest of the general fund. The city said it is the lowest operating rate in 18 years.
- Debt service: 1.183 mills, up from 0.9 mills. This repays the bonds voters approved in 2022. The city said the rise of 0.283 mills follows from the second bond issue of $93.4 million in April 2025.
So the whole increase is the bond repayment. The total rate rises from 4.949 to 5.232 mills, or about 5.7%.
The city’s own figures also put this year’s rollback rate at 5.288 mills. The city defines the rollback rate as the rate that would raise the same revenue as last year. The adopted rate is below it. The city said the rollback rate rose because Fulton County’s taxable value for Roswell fell, mostly because of the floating homestead exemption.
What it costs you
Roswell’s millage rate page works through a $575,000 home. Fulton County assesses it at 40%, or $230,000, so each mill costs about $230 before exemptions.
| City tax rate | City portion of the bill | Change from 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 rate, 4.949 mills | $1,138 | |
| Adopted 2026 rate, 5.232 mills | $1,203 | +$65 |
| Rollback rate, 5.288 mills | $1,216 | +$78 |
| Moved forward Sept. 14, 5.900 mills | $1,357 | +$219 |
| Advertised Sept. 3, 7.732 mills | $1,778 | +$640 |
The city said about $272 of that home’s $1,203 goes to the bond program. Homestead exemptions lower every figure in the table. The city’s example holds the home’s value steady from one year to the next.
The city’s share is only part of the bill. The city said Roswell taxes make up about 16.3% of a resident’s total. Fulton County Schools takes about 56.2% and Fulton County about 27.6%. Our comparison of Roswell, Alpharetta, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs sets Roswell’s city rate beside its neighbors’.
What the higher rate would have paid for
Mayor Mary Robichaux proposed 7.732 mills on Sept. 2 to raise the operating rate to 6.549 mills. The city said that would fund about $18 million of what it called critical capital needs. Its millage rate page lists the largest items:
- building repairs, $4.9 million
- 33 replacement vehicles, eight of them police cars, $3.97 million
- road resurfacing, $3 million
- the city’s share of the Historic Gateway project, $3 million
- a new fire engine, $1.4 million
- the final year of the move to a full-time fire department, $1.2 million
“We didn’t come to the decision to raise taxes lightly,” Robichaux said when she proposed the rate.
The adopted rate leaves the operating rate where it was. The city’s release does not say how the capital list will now be paid for. The city said the 2026 budget was built on the 4.049 operating rate and that rate covers 2026 operations. The city had said it would present the proposed 2027 budget Oct. 13. The budget was not on the agenda for the Oct. 13 council meeting, and the city has not posted it.
What it means for you
- Your bill is coming. The city said bills go out before the end of October. Payment is due 60 days after billing and no later than Dec. 31, 2026.
- Check your exemptions. A homestead exemption lowers the bill. Roswell also offers an income-based senior exemption and exemptions for disabled residents and disabled veterans. Details are on the city’s property tax page.
- Ask for your own figure. The city will estimate an individual bill by email at taxinformation@roswellgov.com.
- Question your assessed value with the Fulton County Board of Assessors, not the city. Its number is (404) 612-6440.
- Watch the 2027 budget. It was not presented at the Oct. 13 meeting as the city had planned. The next council meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at City Hall, 38 Hill St. We will report the budget when the city publishes it.
Have your say