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 PAY TAXES ONLINE
The Finance Department’s mission is to accurately and efficiently maintain and safeguard the City of Newnan’s financial affairs, assets and records as generated by the operations of the City and maintain an environment which encourages and promotes employee integrity, ethics, creativity, and personal development, while ensuring a high level of excellence in customer satisfaction.
The Finance Department was established in 2002 and has charge of the administration of all financial affairs of the city. The department handles property tax billing and collections, occupational taxes, alcohol licensing, surplus property auctions, accounts payable, accounts receivable, annual audit, revenue collections, purchasing, and fixed assets. Additionally, we provide assistance with the annual budget.
We are located on the first floor of City Hall at 25 LaGrange Street. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We can be reached by telephone at 770-254-2351.
The Finance Department currently includes four other positions, in addition to the Finance Director.
Accountant: Renee Phillips @
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. Please contact Renee for fixed assets, monthly closings, bank reconciliations, general ledger and other financial inquiries.
Accounting Technician: Ronda Helton @
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. Please contact her for business licensing, alcohol licensing and purchasing inquiries.
Accounting Clerk: Ginny Gibson @
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. Please contact her for accounts payable, NSF checks and payment inquiries.
Accounting Clerk: Kim Carroll @
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. Please contact her for property taxes, collections (grass cutting, house demolitions), and cemetery sales inquiries.
Property Taxes
The Coweta County Tax Assessor's office provides ALLproperty tax information to the City of Newnan for billing and collection purposes. Therefore, any assessment discrepancies have to be addressed directly with the County. Owners of any residential or commercial property located in the City of Newnan have to pay both City and County taxes to each agency individually. The Finance department issues annual property tax bills upon receipt of the tax data from the County.
Generally, property tax bills are prepared and mailed early October with a due date of approximately 30 days after billingeach year. City of Newnan tax payments can be made online by clicking here. Additionally, tax payment information and history can be obtained at this website. Payment must be received by the due date to prevent penalties; postmarks are not acceptable due to processing time. For further information, please contact the Finance Department directly.
Please keep in mind that all tax bills are mailed to the owner on record as of January 1st each year, per State law. If property changes ownership after January 1st, then the prior owner should forward the tax bill to the new owner. Please call the Finance Department if you do not receive a tax bill for any property located in the City of Newnan. Failure to receive a bill or pay taxes will not alleviate penalties for late payments.
If you have an Escrow account with your mortgage company, please do NOT remit payment to the City of Newnan. Your mortgage company will automatically pay the taxes on your behalf. Refunds for overpayments will not be processed until at least 60 days after the due date of the taxes.
We have also established a mortgage company interface specifically for mortgage companies/tax service agencies which allows access to property tax records for mortgage company customers who have escrow accounts. This website is password protected. Requests for access to this interface can be sent to Jim Chambers at
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. We also ask that mortgage companies and/or tax services limit the number of parcels being paid to twenty-five (25) per check, unless an Excel file is provided to the City which includes the check number, parcel numbers being paid, the amount for each parcel, and the physical address of the each parcel.
Fi Fa's for delinquent property taxes are typically processed in February or March of the following year. This includes selling the property on the courthouse steps to collect the delinquent taxes. All collections costs are added to the amount due.
Occupational Taxes
All businesses operating in the City of Newnan are required to obtain (and display) a current annual Occupational Tax Certificate. Additionally, retail establishments which sell alcohol (on-premises or off-premises) are required to obtain an alcohol license each year. No business license of any type will be issued by the City if the business has any type of delinquent revenues (taxes, house demolition, grass cutting, etc) due to the City.
City ordinances regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages. No stand-alone bars or night clubs are permitted within the City. Businesses with on-premise consumption must maintain a ratio of at least 55% food sales (of total gross receipts) at all times. This information is reported to the City on the Quarterly Sales Report. See below for further information and a link to the form. Failure to submit the quarterly report or maintain the correct ratio of food sales will result in revocation of the alcohol license.
New businesses can obtain an Occupational Tax Certificate by completing and submitting the New Business Application, along with a notarized Citizenship Affidavit for the owner(s), to the City of Newnan for approval. All new businesses require zoning approval; some may also require approval of the Building Inspection department and Fire Marshall. Therefore, a representative of the company must visit City Hall with the paperwork to obtain the required approvals prior to the certificate being issued by the Finance department.
Retail and annual occupational tax fees are based on gross receipts of the business. Initial fees are generally based on estimated gross receipts; then subsequent renewals are based on prior year gross receipts of the business. A copy of the business tax return, P & L statement, Schedule C, etc. (substantiating gross receipts reported) is required when renewing an existing license. The Occupational Tax Calculation Worksheet is used to determine reportable gross receipts for renewals.
Additional information may be required prior to issuing the certificate for the business. Examples include citizenship confirmation, state licenses, health department approval, professional licenses, etc. A checklist is included with the application. Once all paperwork is submitted and approved, and all appropriate fees paid, the Occupational Tax Certificate will be issued by the City. Appropriate fees include any revenues owed to the City of Newnan. Occupational tax certificates will not be issued to any business or business owner who owes delinquent revenues of any type to the City.
Business Name or Location Changes
The City is to be notified of all business name and location changes, as well as transfers of ownership. The Amended Occupational Tax Form is to be utilized for this purpose. Location changes require zoning approval and possibly the approval of Building Inspection and the Fire Marshall. The appropriate fees are listed on the form. It is the Owner's responsibility to keep all address changes up-to-date with the City. Otherwise, renewal packets may not reach the right address and a fee will be imposed to reproduce the renewal/tax return form since we do not keep copies on file.
Renewals
Retail, Annual and Financial Occupational Tax Certificate renewals are due by April 1st each year, with renewal packets automatically mailed by the City the first week in January. The renewals are mailed to the mailing address on file, as provided by the business. These packets contain the actual tax return for the business and must be complete and submitted for renewal. If lost or misplaced, there will be a $10.00 fee for duplication of the form, since the City does not keep a copy on file. Fees are based on prior year gross receipts of the business, therefore a copy of the tax return (or P & L, Schedule C, etc) must be submitted with the renewal application. Substantial penalties, beginning at 11.5%, result when renewals are submitted after the due date. No penalties will be waived, regardless of the reason.
Insurance Company renewals are due January 1st each year, per City Ordinance. The annual flat fee is $75 per location. Beginning in 2012, the annual flat fee will increase to $100 per location. Additionally, there is a gross premiums tax imposed on life insurers in the amount of 1% of the gross direct premiums received during the preceding calendar year. All other insurers will pay an additional 2.5% of the gross direct premiums received during the preceding calendar year. The fee charged to insurance companies is based on population, per State Law. The City of Newnan's population increased from 16,242 in 2000 to 33,039 in 2010.
Alcohol license renewals are required by December 31st each year. Renewal packets are mailed during the last week in September. License fees are based on the type of alcohol sold and whether the sales are off-premises or on-premises. Please see the Fee Schedule for specific fees. Failure to provide all documentation and renew by December 31st will result in cancellation of the license; the owner will have to begin the process all over again, including application, advertising, etc.
Additionally, establishments with on-premises consumption are required to file a Quarterly Sales Report with the City, along with a monthly 3% Alcohol Tax report. This monthly report must be received by the City by the 10th day of each month; otherwise a penalty is imposed. Failure to file the required reports will result in revocation of the alcohol license.
For more information concerning Occupational Taxes in the City of Newnan, please see the City of Newnan's Code of Ordinances or contact Ronda Helton via email @
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.
Rental Motor Vehicle Excise Taxes
Effective January 1, 2011, all businesses who rent motor vehicles in the City of Newnan will collect, on behalf of the City, a 3% excise tax. These funds will be used primarily for tourism purposes or public safety expenditures. The taxes collected for the month are due to the City by the 20th day of the following month.
The Rental Motor Vehicle Tax Return form will be utilized by the businesses to file and remit the excise taxes to the City. Please note that postmarks are not acceptable for filing or paying the taxes; we must receive the tax return and funds by the 20th day of the month. Otherwise, penalties and interest will be added to next month's amount due.
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