Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce isn’t proposing a millage rate increase for fiscal year 2020 like he did a year ago. But growth in the county’s tax digest means public hearings will be necessary specifically for the millage rate.
That’s because under state law, local governments and school boards that don’t assess a “rollback” millage rate to counter that tax revenue increase are in effect imposing a property tax increase, and are required to hold public hearings.
Last week Cobb Tax Assessor Steven White declared that the 2019 Cobb tax digest will be a record $39 billion, surpassing last year’s total of $36.2 billion.
The county announced Tuesday that those public hearings will take place on the same dates and at the same Cobb Board of Commissioners meetings in which FY 2020 budget hearings have been scheduled:
- Tuesday, July 9, 9 a.m.;
- Tuesday, July 16, 6:30 p.m.;
- Tuesday, July 23, 2019, 7 p.m.
That last meeting is also slated for final budget adoption. Last week Boyce outlined his $474.8 million budget proposal that he will formally introduce Monday at 1:30 p.m.
The property tax “increase” amounts to 4.52 percent from last year’s general fund revenues.
The Cobb Board of Education also holds millage rate hearings in similar situations. It hasn’t upped the school millage rate of 18.9 mills in years, but tax revenue growth has meant it also has had to hold the same hearings.
This year that tax revenue increase for Cobb schools is 4.88 percent. A recent history of the schools millage rate levy can be found here.
Next Wednesday, the school board will hold its first public hearing on the tax digest at 11 a.m. at the Cobb County School District headquarters, 514 Glover St., Marietta. Additional hearings are in the same location on July 18 at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with millage rate adoption scheduled for the same day at 7 p.m.
The Cobb schools fiscal year 2020 began on Monday.
The proposed FY 2020 Cobb government millage rates are as follows:
- General Fund, 8.46 mills;
- Fire Fund, 2.86 mills;
- Debt Service (Bond Fund), 0.13 mills;
- Cumberland Special Services District II, 2.45 mills;
- Six Flags Special Service District, 3.50 mills.
Citizens can speak on the budget and millage rate proposals at the meetings listed above. They will be held in the second floor board meeting room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.
Here’s more from the Cobb Tax Commissioners Office on the county’s millage rate history, and the millage rates compared to the six cities in the county.
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