Issue link: http://savannah.uberflip.com/i/1521944
SAVANNAHCHAMBER.COM 69 Chatham County Sales Tax: Tax is 7% (4% state, 3% local option) on purchases of most goods and some services. Only the 3% local sales tax is charged on groceries. State Personal Income Tax: In early 2018, Georgia's General Assembly reduced the top tax rate for individuals from 6% to 5.75% and doubled the standard deduction, both through the year 2024. Property Tax: Chatham County property taxes are assessed on 40% of the fair market value of the property. Applied to this amount are millage rates, which are levied by various governing authori- ties: Chatham County, the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education, the City of Savannah and some — but not all — munici- palities. The Chatham Area Transit Authority levies a tax in some service areas. Owner-occupied homes are eligible for homestead exemptions, as well as an exemption that essentially freezes the taxable value at the purchase price until it is sold again, and additional exemptions apply to certain categories of senior citizens. VOTER REGISTRATION Voter Registration Offi ce 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Ste. E; 912-790-1520 voter.chathamcounty.org • You must be a U.S. citizen at least 18 years old to vote (17 ½ years to register), mentally sound and not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction. • You must register at least 30 days before an election in which you wish to vote. Although the voter rolls are periodically purged of inactive voters, those who vote with some regularity remain registered until they change addresses. • You may register at the Chatham County Registrar's offi ce, the various branches of the Live Oak Public Libraries in Chatham County, the Georgia Department of Driver Services and certain other govern- ment offi ces. You may also register online at the Georgia Secretary of State's offi cial website, sos.ga.gov. Need-to-know Information CITIES/MUNICIPALITIES Chatham County Government 912-652-7175 chathamcountyga.gov City of Bloomingdale 912-748-0970 bloomingdale-ga.com City of Garden City* 912-966-7777 gardencity-ga.gov City of Pooler 912-748-7261 pooler-ga.us City of Port Wentworth* 912-964-4379 cityofportwentworth.com City of Savannah — Offi ce of Human Resources* 912-651-6484 savannahga.gov/jobs City of Tybee Island* 912-786-4573 cityoftybee.org Town of Thunderbolt* 912-354-5533 thunderboltga.org Town of Vernonburg 912-790-7660 LIBRARIES Live Oak Public Libraries* 912-652-3600 liveoakpl.org PUBLIC SERVICES Carl Vinson Institute of Government* 706-201-2296 cviog.uga.edu Chatham County Board of Assessors* 912-652-7271 boa.chathamcounty.org Chatham County Department of Family/Children Services 912-651-2216 chathamdfcs.org R E S O U R C E S SAVANNAH AREA AND GEORGIA TAX SUMMARY Compared to other states, Georgia enjoys modest tax rates. A balanced budget is constitutionally mandated and a pro-business climate nurtures strong economic growth. The maximum corporate income tax rate, which had remained at 6% since 1969, was lowered to its present 5.75% effective in 2019. M I C H A E L S C H A L K / S A V A N N A H M A G A Z I N E City of Savannah Sanitation Department