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Savannah‑Chatham school system presents FY2026 millage hearing, recommends keeping rate at 17.481 mills
Summary
At a June 17 public hearing, Savannah‑Chatham County Public School System staff outlined the Taxpayer Bill of Rights process and recommended no change to the FY2026 millage rate of 17.481 mills while noting the board’s tentative rate exceeds the rollback rate; one resident offered public comment and the hearing record was closed.
Savannah‑Chatham County Public School System staff presented the second of three public hearings on the fiscal year 2026 millage rate on June 17, recommending no change to the current rate of 17.481 mills.
Miss Cooley, a school district staff member, said the district “recommends no change in the current millage rate of 17.481 mills” for FY2026 and explained the public-notice requirements under Georgia’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights. She told the board the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and Department of Revenue rules require three public hearings, public notices in the local newspaper and press releases when a taxing jurisdiction sets a millage rate higher than its rollback rate.
The presentation explained how the Chatham County Board of Assessors establishes the county’s certified tax digest each year and that the school system has two taxing jurisdictions—one for maintenance and operations and another for bond indebtedness—each with a separate millage rate. Miss Cooley said digest changes come from new construction or reassessments of existing property and described the rollback-rate calculation used to offset inflation-driven value increases.
The presenter noted that the tentative millage rate adopted by the board of education for maintenance and operations “exceeds the rollback rate,” and reiterated that even when a millage rate does not increase, homeowners can pay more if assessed property values rise. As an example, the presentation showed calculations for a home valued at $250,000 with only the state regular homestead exemption: estimated county school M&O tax would be $2,272.53 if value increased, $2,097.72 if value did not change, and $1,922.91 if value decreased, using the recommended 17.481 mills.
Miss Cooley listed the six property types that appear on the digest: real property, personal property, vehicles, mobile homes, timber and heavy-duty equipment, and she identified the remaining public hearing dates: an earlier hearing at 11 a.m. the same day, and a third hearing scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, at 6 p.m.
One member of the public, Mister Cohen, addressed the board during the public-comment period. Cohen thanked the board and said he has a “vested interest” in the schools; he did not raise objections to the millage recommendation during his remarks.
The public hearing concluded and the meeting was adjourned by motion.
The hearing materials included the district’s recommendation and illustrative tax calculations; no formal vote adopting a final FY2026 millage rate was recorded in the transcript of this hearing.
