Additional Millage Rate Public Hearing Scheduled, Vote Rescheduled

Staff Report From Middle Georgia CEO

Monday, August 14th, 2017

The Macon-Bibb County Board of Commission has tentatively adopted a millage rate increase from 14.652 to 17.652, which is an increase of 3 mils or 21.27 percent. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $125,000 is approximately $129.00 and the proposed tax increase for nonhomestead property with a fair market value of $125,000 is approximately $150.00.

Georgia law requires three public hearings to be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase before the budget and millage rate can be finalized. All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings and the vote to adopt the millage rate, each to be held in Commission Chambers at the Macon-Bibb County Government Center (700 Poplar Street, Macon, GA).

An additional hearing was scheduled due to a lack of quorum at the second hearing in order to provide the public ample opportunity to express their opinion. With the new hearing added, the vote to adopt the millage rate was rescheduled.

Public Hearings

August 15, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.

August 18, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. (New public hearing)

Millage Rate Adoption

August 18, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. (New meeting date)

All of the hearings and the adoption will be streamed live on Facebook and at MaconBibbTV.

The increase to 17.652 mils includes a rollback rate because of an increase in the value of property in Macon-Bibb County. Each year, the Board of Tax Assessors is required to review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county.  When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the Board of Tax Assessors is required by law to re-determine the value of such property and adjust the assessment.  This is called a reassessment.

When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred. The rollback rate this year means Macon-Bibb County would need a millage rate of 14.556 to collect the same revenue as the previous year.