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Dade County staff explains millage rate, schedules public hearings for Aug. 20 and Aug. 27
Summary
County staff outlined how Georgia’s millage rate and the rollback calculation affect property taxes, gave examples of assessed-value and mill calculations, and announced public hearings on Aug. 20 (11 a.m. and 6 p.m.) and Aug. 27 (4 p.m.).
Dade County staff outlined how Georgia’s millage rate determines local property taxes and announced public hearings on the county’s proposed millage rates for Aug. 20 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., and Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.
The presentation explained that Georgia requires local governments to adopt a millage rate to fund budgeted services and that the millage rate represents the amount a homeowner pays for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. "We have a millage rate because the state of Georgia says so," the staff member said.
County staff said assessed value in Georgia is 40% of market value and used that ratio in numerical examples. In one example a parcel with a $150,000 market value has a $60,000 assessed value; at 7.75 mills (0.00775), the annual tax on that parcel would be $465. In a separate example illustrating a rollback calculation, a $100,000 property at 5 mills produces $500 in tax; if the property appreciates to $125,000, the rollback millage to generate the same total revenue on the new digest would be 4 mills.
The staff member said each governing authority — such as county commissioners and the school board — prepares its own budget, the tax assessor values real property, and each authority sets its own millage rate based on how much revenue it needs and the countywide tax digest. The presentation noted that keeping the same millage rate after property revaluations can still increase total property tax revenue and that Georgia law therefore requires counties to compute and advertise a rollback millage rate that would produce the same revenue as the prior year on the new digest.
The presentation also cited third-party comparisons that place Dade County among lower-tax jurisdictions: taxrates.org lists Dade County as having one of the lowest median property tax rates nationally, and SmartAsset ranked the county among the lower rates in Georgia.
County staff invited residents to comment at two hearings on Aug. 20 (11 a.m. and 6 p.m.) and one hearing on Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. For questions, the presentation gave a phone number, (706) 657-4625, and an email contact, info@dadecounty-ga.gov. The staff member concluded, "You have a chance to weigh in on the commission's pending decision regarding the millage rate."
