Athens-Clarke County is getting closer to putting vacant and abandoned lots back in the hands of people who build houses. At the same time, voters are weighing a sales-tax swap that would change the property tax bill on every home, rental and commercial building in the county.
Both topics came up at an Oct. 13 commission work session, according to Flagpole, the Athens weekly that covered the meeting.
A land bank that sat idle for years
The Athens-Clarke County Land Bank Authority isn't new. The mayor and commission created it in 2009 under then-Mayor Heidi Davison, Flagpole reported, but it went dormant during the Nancy Denson administration. Mayor Kelly Girtz and the commission brought it back in 2025.
A land bank can buy and sell real estate, including through tax sales. It can clear clouded titles, which often keep a cheap lot off the market for years. It can also partner with developers, nonprofits and other government agencies.
"Anybody who drives the back streets of this town knows there are a bunch of effectively abandoned properties that would be well-situated as affordable housing stock," Girtz said at the work session, according to Flagpole.
Five lots ready to go
Land bank board members asked commissioners for a $450,000 budget to cover 18 months of operation, from Jan. 1 through the middle of 2028. Flagpole reported the money would pay for an executive director, a part-time office manager, office rent and the purchase of single-family lots.
"We already have five lots of vacant property ready to market, clear, do due diligence on and put out there for development," board chair Greg O'Connell told commissioners.
O'Connell said the land bank will be partly self-sustaining over time by selling or leasing property, but that no land bank in Georgia pays its own way entirely. Ongoing money could come from payments in lieu of taxes from the Athens Housing Authority, or from the county's "strike fund," which was set up to buy aging, naturally affordable apartment complexes when they come on the market.
ACC Deputy Manager Andrew Saunders told commissioners that "affordable housing requires subsidy," and that the land bank would likely need ongoing support to pay staff and handle land deals. "Once that land is in play, there is some return on capital," he said, according to Flagpole.
Some commissioners balked at a $100,000 salary for the executive director and $40,000 for office rent. Saunders said there are "no great options" for free county space because Athens-Clarke is short on room until a new judicial center is built. O'Connell said the salary was meant to attract "a quality candidate with real experience."
The commission is scheduled to vote on the funding request at its Nov. 4 meeting.
The FLOST question on the Nov. 3 ballot
The same work session covered FLOST, the Floating Local Option Sales Tax. It's a 1% sales tax that can only be used to cut property taxes by the same dollar amount. The county can't campaign for it, but it has launched an education effort, Flagpole reported.
The state legislature created FLOST in 2024 as part of a law capping how fast property assessments can grow. ACC Manager Bob Cowell said about 40 Georgia communities have since passed it, including neighboring Oglethorpe County.
According to the county's estimates reported by Flagpole, FLOST would raise about $37.6 million and allow the millage rate to drop from 12.25 mills to 7.83. The owner of a $250,000 home would save $320 to $440 a year. Shoppers, whether they live in Athens or not, would pay $10 more for every $1,000 of taxable spending. Rental, commercial and industrial property owners would see the same millage cut as homeowners.
Commissioner Melissa Link questioned whether landlords would pass any savings to tenants. Cowell said FLOST is too new in Georgia to know.
Why it matters for contractors
For small builders and remodelers around Athens, a working land bank could mean a steady source of cleared, buildable single-family lots, the kind that are hard to find in a college town where land is tight. Lots that come out of a land bank usually carry conditions, such as price caps or affordability rules, so builders who want in should watch how the authority writes its deals.
The Nov. 4 funding vote is the next step. If the money comes through, the five lots the board mentioned could be the first ones offered.
FLOST matters too. Contractors who own shops, yards or rental units would pay less in property tax if it passes, while customers would pay 1% more on taxable purchases in the county. More details are on the county's FLOST page at accgov.com/flost.