Appling County adopts balanced 2025 budget and sets 2024 millage rates

The Appling County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a balanced 2025 budget with estimated revenues and expenditures of $23,032,018 and approved millage rates for 2024, county officials said.

Dr. Kenneth Boody, presenting the budget, told commissioners the board had held three budget workshops and a public-input hearing and that “all cost saving measures have been applied” before recommending adoption of the proposed 2025 budget. Following discussion, a commissioner moved to adopt the proposed 2025 Appling County budget; the motion carried unanimously.

The board also approved three tax-levy resolutions setting millage rates for the 2024 tax year: the school maintenance rate at 12.203 mills (total taxes to be levied shown in the resolution as $16,607,775), the fire-and-rescue special tax at 0.47 mills (total levy $633,455), and the county maintenance rate at 11.885 mills (total levy $16,018,329). County staff noted the county maintenance rate represents a slight decrease from last year’s 11.924 mills.

Commissioners discussed the county’s per-capita spending compared with a neighboring county during the budget presentation, with one commissioner asking whether the county could “tighten our belt” to reduce the tax burden; the board nevertheless adopted the balanced budget and the millage resolutions.

Why it matters: The adopted budget establishes county spending and revenue priorities for 2025 and the millage-rate resolutions set the tax levies for the 2024 tax year. The county manager said staff will process routine budget amendments as needed, including applying a recently received reimbursement from GEMA for storm-recovery costs.

Votes: The adoption of the budget and the three millage resolutions were carried unanimously in open session.