Madison County schedules budget work sessions and public hearings; staff presents millage-rate scenarios

MADISON COUNTY, Ga. — County staff on July 28 outlined the public hearing schedule and work sessions for the 2026 budget year and presented initial millage-rate scenarios, including one that holds the millage rate steady. Staff notified the board that two public hearings required by state law were rescheduled to Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 after a missed advertising deadline; state law requires at least one hearing to be held at 6 p.m. when an increase is expected. Staff also scheduled budget work sessions on Aug. 11 (6:30 a.m.) and two daytime sessions in the same month with departmental staff. Staff described a baseline scenario that holds the millage rate (no rollback and no increase) and noted the tax-ad notice language will show a 6.83% percentage as required for the advertisement. Staff said they are still running two other rollback scenarios and will finalize revenue estimates later this week before further review with the board. Why this matters: Scheduling and advertising public hearings and work sessions is a legal step in the county budget process. The millage-rate choice affects taxpayers'bills and the amount of revenue available for county services. Details and next steps: Staff said the board will hold the required public hearings and then consider adoption; the final budget vote is scheduled for the September meeting. The county provided a five-year history with three scenarios and said staff will meet to comb through numbers this week. Two public hearings were delayed because of an internal misunderstanding about the newspaper deadline; staff called the published schedule a "worst-case scenario" and said they hope to refine numbers before the hearings.