FULTON COUNTY, GA — Fulton County property owners are still expected to receive their property tax bills on time after a judge granted the county permission to move forward with an emergency property tax collection despite delays in the county’s tax digest.

County leaders say collecting taxes before the assessment process is complete is necessary to keep government operations running. Officials previously warned that delaying tax collections could force the county government and local school districts to take out short-term loans or leave them without enough money to pay employees and fund essential services.

Fulton County Tax Commissioner Dr. Arthur Ferdinand says his office expects tax bills to begin going out around Aug. 15. Atlanta residents’ bills will be due at the end of September, while bills for all other property owners will be due by mid-October.

Ferdinand says his office is preparing to process about 400,000 tax bills.

“I have my people lined up to work overtime and through the night to print bills,” Ferdinand said.

Under the emergency order, tax bills will be calculated using this year’s property values and last year’s millage rate.

“We’ll calculate tax bills using the values for this year and last year’s millage rate. Now if you did not appeal your value, nothing changes in your value this year and you will not receive another bill because your work is done,” Ferdinand said.

Ferdinand says property owners who appealed their assessments are the most likely to receive an adjusted bill after the assessment process is complete.

“I don’t think many citizens are going to get a new tax bill, except those who appealed their property values. Some of them could get a refund, and some of them can get an adjusted new bill,” Ferdinand said.

He says he does not know why the Board of Assessors fell behind processing land packages.

“It’s a big county, but then you’re also resourced to the level of the size of your county. So I don’t know what happened and why they’re behind,” Ferdinand said.

County officials say anyone who overpays under the emergency collection process will receive a refund with interest once the assessment process is finalized.

Fulton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney says the district receives about 60% of its funding from property taxes.

“Currently our greatest challenge is making sure that we have the tax revenue necessary to continue doing the good work we’re doing. Fulton County Schools receives about 60 percent of its funding from property taxes,” Looney said.

Looney says the district has enough reserves to operate for a couple of months if property tax revenue is delayed.

WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.