In addition to hearing from 21 individuals signed up to speak to the Augusta Commission Tuesday, commissioners are scheduled to vote on property tax rates and a handful of other big-ticket items.
Going for an OK is the adoption of “proposed millage rates” for 2023. The rates are used to calculate the amount of a property owner’s tax bill on tax bills that go out in the fall.
The rates themselves weren’t going to be available until the time of the commission vote Tuesday, Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse said. No commissioner reached for comment had seen the proposal by mid-Monday afternoon.
According to the agenda item, the rates will be set at the “computed rollback rate.” Those are the rates that would raise the same amount of revenue as last fiscal year, although it won’t be distributed the same among taxpayers. Homeowners whose property values have gone up, some by 75% or more, will see a larger amount due on their tax bills.
Just before the tax vote, Richmond County Chief Appraiser Scott Rountree is scheduled to address the commission about why property values have gone up. Rountree told commissioners in June many homeowners were certain to be “shocked” by the new values, driven up by higher home sales prices.
In another item, the commission is set to approve a $60.6 million contract with E.R. Snell for the Broad Street improvements project. The project includes $55.8 million in Transportation Investment Act funds, approximately $3 million left over from prior special purpose, local option sales tax projects, $2 million in TIA discretionary funds and $1 million in state grant funds.
Discussion of consolidating the city’s maintenance functions under one roof may be put to rest by another agenda item. Engineering and Environmental Services is seeking approval to hire local landscaping LLC Pond Maintenance at a cost of $400,000 annually.
According to the agenda item, Pond will take over right-of-way maintenance in the area currently assigned to Augusta Parks and Recreation, which includes most residential areas in the old city limits.
Commissioners will again weigh in on building Augusta Rowing Club a new facility after the club’s home at the city-owned Boathouse was wrecked by a water leak. The information-only item calls for Augusta to spend an estimated $522,000: $272,000 for a storage building, $150,000 for a restroom and office facility and $100,000 for site work, design and permitting.
The commission also is set to approve spending $1.25 million for city wastewater treatment plant operator ESG, now known as Inframark, to repaint six water tanks at Fort Gordon.
