SCBC to approve millage rates for Stephens County Schools, County

As a reminder, the Stephens County Board of Commissioners will set the 2022 millage rate today in a special called meeting.

As WNEG News previously reported, the County will meet this morning at 8:30 a.m. inside the Historic Stephens County Courthouse, to approve the Stephens County Board of Education’s recommended millage rate of 15.72 mills along with the county’s rollback millage rate of 14.05 mills.

Originally, the Board of Commissioners had proposed leaving the millage rate, at 14.76 mills, the same as 2021; however, that would have been considered a property tax increase due to property valuations increasing by 8 percent.

During the first two public hearings, several residents came forward to speak out against the tax increase. This outcry from residents pushed the Board of Commissioners to adjust the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget in order for the county to adjust the proposed millage rate.

On Thursday, July 21, the Commission met and approved several budget amendments to adjust for the rollback rate.

Each Commissioner provided their ideas for how to reduce the budget in order to accept a rollback millage rate rather than the proposed property tax increase.

Commissioner Dean Scarborough recommended they reduce every department by ¾ of a percent.

Commissioner Debbie Whitlock and Vice Chair Dennis Bell recommended they adjust two of the capital improvement projects: the Investigator Building and E911 Communication Upgrades.

Ultimately, the commission decided to take $250,000 from each of those projects to satisfy the amount the property tax increase would have brought in for the county.

Again, the Stephens County Board of Commissioners will meet this morning at 8:30 a.m. in a special called meeting to approve the millage rate for 2022.