The City of Harlem voted to set its millage rate to 9.35 mills, Monday evening, as certified earlier this year, and as it was set last year.
Harlem City Council’s meeting that night was the city’s third public tax property hearing, as required by state law. City manager Debra Moore noted, as was reported in the two previous hearings on July 17 and 24, that the city’s tax digest increased by 15% from 2024.
As such, the city opted to keep the millage rate at 9.35, same as last year’s, a rate which the council voted to certify last month. This rate is projected to bring more than 14% more revenue than last year, Moore also said, which is expected to cover the costs of city park improvements.
After the millage rate was adopted, followed by a presentation by Jennifer Heath, assurance services director with accounting firm Cherry Bekaert. Harlem hired Bekaert to conduct an audit of its finances for fiscal year 2024, including federal funds for Hurricane Helene. In her presentation of this financial report, Heath told councilmembers that the firm “did not identify any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses throughout the course of the audit.”
The council unanimously voted to approve the financial report.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
