SCBOE plans to adopt FY20 budget, set millage rate next month

The Stephens County Board of Education is considering setting the property tax rate at 16.8 mills for Fiscal Year 2020, the same as this current year.

The good news? Due to an increase in the tax digest, this rate is considered a roll back.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey says residents will see a very small decrease in their property taxes.

“It will be our recommendation to hold the millage rate at 16.8 mils, that’s technically a tax decrease,” Dorsey said. “You’ll see the final numbers in our July meeting when I would like to recommend the budget to you. We have to have a couple of budget hearings to follow state rules. We could actually roll up .013 percent to hold the same taxes, but while the millage rate is staying the same it’s technically an incredible small tax decrease.”

In the same vein, the BOE will meet on Tuesday to consider a motion to schedule its Budget Hearings in July to adopt the FY2020 Budget.

According to Dorsey, the tentative budget that was approved during their regular scheduled meeting in May, is identical to the proposed Budget they’ll be considering in July.

“You’ll see that we’re asking for a July Spending Resolution at our next meeting, so that we have time to get with the newspaper, our official county organ, to advertise the first hearing of the budget process,” Dorsey said. “It is set for July 11, at 5:30 p.m., during the beginning of the work session. Then the first official agenda item of the July 16, regular meeting will be the next budget hearing. Then later on in that meeting we will adopt the budget, unless there are reasons to make changes, and also to approve that millage rate. Right now, we’re looking at no tax increase, and we’re still looking at the same budget that was presented to you last month that’s balanced.”

The tentative budget is just over $36.3 million – an increase of less than 2 percent over this year’s budget.

Dorsey says the tentative budget shows the school district spending less money; despite, the State approved $3-thousand salary increase for Certified positions, and the local 2-percent salary increase for Classified positions.

“The salary schedule that the state board has put out that includes the $3-thousand for all certified positions, and then, as the board is aware, we are proposing, in this budget, a 2-percent raise to all classified too. Now there is no particular salary schedule for the classified positions, and we are certainly above the reimbursement rate for the state. But, as part of us doing what we need to do here, they’re still getting that 2-percent. So everybody in the school system will see one or the other,” he said.

However, because the board will not have a budget for FY2020 adopted by June 30, the school board will have to approve monthly spending resolutions, each month, until the budget for 2020 is adopted.

School board members are expected to approve a July spending resolution at its meeting on Tuesday.

WNEG News will continue to follow this story as additional information is released.