The Columbia County Board of Education unanimously approved lowering the millage rate to 17.20 mills for 2023 during its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
The rate is a .15 decrease from the advertised rate of 17.35 mills, which was the same as 2022. The motion to decrease the millage rate came from District 1 Board member David Alalof, who said there are a lot of factors involved when it comes to setting the millage rate. First is the county doing the appraisals, which the school board has no control over. Then, there’s the school board’s part when it comes to its own millage rate.
“I hope people recognize when we did that 75-basis point reduction last year, we did our best to lower it that amount,” Alalof said. “I thought it was the best that we could do at the time. I think it was a substantial amount. We did it not only because of the increase in the digest; we did it because we were coming out of COVID, and a lot of people were hurting. I thought we did a pretty good job and did the best that we could do at the time. Taking all of that into consideration, I would still like to reduce the current millage rate another 15 basis points from 17.35 to 17.20.”
District 4 School Board member Lee Ann Myer stated that when the budge was done, it was based on a 10% tax increase that was primarily from new growth in the county. She said that her tax bills for her business and residential properties also increased significantly before adding that the residential property was renovated and a lot of money was put into it.
“I completely understand the increase from last year to this year,” Myer said. “But I agree. I think the increase of 15-basis points or .15 on the millage rate is appropriate.”
The lowering of the millage rate followed the third public hearing where several citizens voiced their thoughts on the advertised rate of 17.35 with all asking school board members to lower the rate.
One citizen said it is misleading to focus on the millage rate only rather than the actual dollars that are being paid. She asked the school board to tighten up the budget to keep up with the tightening of budgets that citizens are having to make.
Katie Allen said the school board needs to look at how its spending money and questioned how the school district could put money in savings, but citizens are having to make cuts just to make ends meet. She asked school board members to lower the millage rate.
“I know I’m a fiscally conservative person,” Allen said “When we don’t have enough money, when we don’t get to go knock on our neighbor’s door and ask for it and raise their taxes for it, we have to downgrade our cars and drive a little bit less often and say no to a lot more things to our kids to make things meet. I know a lot of you from the Republican party, and I love to think we’re all fiscally conservative individuals together as Republicans, but I just have to say I feel a little bit disappointed because these constant voting for tax increases year after year. It just doesn’t seem like a fiscally conservative thing to do.”
Janet Duggan voiced similar thoughts to Allen, stating she believes the lowering of the millage rate in 2022 was not enough and has concerns about excess money.
“You had a budget that was approved, and you had $7 million more and that was an increase from 5.25% of an increase to 9.69% of an increase,” Dugan said. So, you almost, not quite doubled the percent tax increase just by lowering the millage rate.
Duggan agreed that the discussion about the millage rate being lowered, but then the budget still increasing is not accurate.
“We’re not stupid,” Duggan said. “You can use whatever rhetoric and whenever lingo you want by saying you’re doing us a favor by lowering the millage rate. But the reality is, if we’re paying $7 million more about budget by you lowering it to 17.35 last year, that wasn’t doing us the justice of actually bringing it to budget neutral.”
Board members ultimately voted to lower the millage rate from the proposed 17.35 mills to 17.20 mills.
Stephanie Hill is the managing editor and reporter covering Columbia County government for The Augusta Press. Reach her at stephanie@theaugustapress.com.
