District 100 Republicans discuss taxes, growth and public safety in Forsyth forum

Forsyth County households are already feeling the squeeze from growth, and that was the backdrop as Josh Clark and Jennifer Ambler, the two Republicans running for Georgia House District 100, faced voters at the Forsyth Leadership Candidate Forum.

Property taxes emerged as the clearest pressure point in the room. Forsyth County officials said 2025 county M&O property taxes will rise by a net 5.88% over the rollback millage rate because the tax digest has grown, a reminder that even a strong local economy can push bills higher for homeowners. The county’s total millage rate was listed at 24.522, with county M&O at 4.791, county fire at 2.805, county bond at 0.300, school M&O at 15.208 and school bonds at 1.418.

That matters in a county where the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population reached 280,096 on July 1, 2024, up from 251,283 in the 2020 Census. Median household income was $138,000 in the latest Census estimates, and the median owner-occupied home value was $493,800, numbers that help explain why tax debates resonate so strongly with Forsyth voters.

School choice also loomed large because Forsyth County Schools says enrollment has grown 40% in the past decade and now serves more than 54,000 students across 42 schools. With classrooms, buses and buildings under constant strain, the candidates’ answers on school choice were not abstract talking points but a test of how each would handle a system already stretched by rapid expansion.

Public safety and growth rounded out the forum’s core themes. Forsyth County is consistently ranked among the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and the pace of development has put county roads, neighborhoods and public services under continuing pressure. The forum, a two-night event that was free and open to the public, gave residents a direct look at how Clark and Ambler would respond to those concerns ahead of the May 19 primary.

The race now moves toward the election calendar, with the General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election set for May 19, 2026. If no candidate clears the field outright, a runoff in the Georgia House primary would follow on June 16, setting up another round of decisions for voters in a district where growth has become the defining political issue.