The Rome City Commission has approved a resolution asking the local legislative delegation to introduce legislation that would allow Floyd County voters to decide on a new one-cent sales tax aimed at lowering property taxes for homeowners.

The proposed Local Homestead Option Sales Tax (LHOST) will be considered during a special session of the Georgia General Assembly beginning July 17. If state lawmakers approve the legislation, Floyd County residents would then vote in a local referendum on whether to adopt the tax.

City Manager Sammy Rich said the proposal is different from the Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) that voters rejected in the past.

Under the LHOST proposal, the additional one-cent sales tax could only be used to reduce property taxes on homestead properties. The money could not be used to fund new government programs or increase local spending.

“This is not new revenue for the city or county,” officials explained during the meeting. “Every dollar collected would go toward reducing existing homestead property taxes.”

If approved by both the General Assembly and local voters, the sales tax could begin being collected in January 2027. Lawmakers are also discussing allowing homeowners to receive six months of property tax relief during the 2027 tax year.

For the proposal to take effect, Floyd County voters must first approve it in a referendum. If voters say yes, the City of Rome would also have to approve participation before city homeowners could receive relief on city property taxes.

Rome and Floyd County currently have a 7% sales tax, which includes:

  • 4% State of Georgia sales tax
  • 1% Local Option Sales Tax (LOST)
  • 1% Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)
  • 1% Education SPLOST (ESPLOST)

The resolution passed on a 6-1 vote. Commissioners Robinson, Brock, Beeman, Fisher, Hixon and Collins voted in favor, while Commissioner Cochran voted against.

City Approves Final 2025 Budget Changes

The commission also approved its final revisions to the 2025 budget.

Finance Director Toni Rhinehart said the amendments were required by the state and affected both the General Fund and the Community Development Fund. The changes had already been reviewed by the city’s Finance Committee.

Before the vote, Commissioner Cochran objected, saying some commissioners had not received the budget documents before being asked to vote. Rhinehart responded that the information was available during the Finance Committee meeting, but commissioners agreed future budget amendments should be distributed to the full commission ahead of time.

The budget revisions were approved by a 5-3 vote. Commissioners Robinson, Brock, Fisher, Collins and Mayor Craig McDaniel Bojo voted in favor, while Commissioners Cochran, Beeman and Hixon voted against.