Savannah-Chatham school system holds first of three millage hearings, recommends no change to 17.481 mills

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System officials held the first of three public hearings on June 17 on the proposed fiscal year 2026 millage rate and recommended no change to the current maintenance-and-operations rate of 17.481 mills.

The recommendation came during a presentation on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and rollback-rate procedures by Ms. Cooley, a school system staff member, who said the district "is not seeking to raise the millage rate" but noted that any rate above the rollback requires public notices and three hearings.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights, passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 1999 and implemented by rules from the Georgia Department of Revenue, requires taxing jurisdictions to calculate a rollback millage that offsets inflationary increases in assessed values. Ms. Cooley explained that the Chatham County Board of Assessors publishes the certified tax digest each year and that the rollback rate is calculated by converting reassessments to a millage equivalent, subtracting that from last year's millage and using the result as the rollback.

Ms. Cooley listed the three hearings required under that process: the June 17 hearing at 11 a.m., a second hearing the same day at 6 p.m., and a third hearing on Wednesday, June 25, at 6 p.m. She also described the six property categories used in the digest—real property, personal property, vehicles, mobile homes, timber and heavy-duty equipment—and showed examples of tax calculations for a home valued at $250,000. Using the recommended 17.481 mills, the presentation showed three example totals: $2,272.53 for a case where assessed value increases, $2,097.72 where the value is unchanged, and $1,922.91 where the value decreases.

The presentation noted that the tentative millage rate previously adopted by the board of education for maintenance and operations exceeds the calculated rollback rate, and that the system's recommendation for FY2026 is to keep the millage at 17.481 mills.

During the public-comment period, one resident, Dr. John Wills, said his property tax bill had risen substantially and urged the board not to increase the tax burden on retirees. "The property tax in our property has increased 21% since 2023," Wills said, adding that he and his wife live on a fixed income. He said he believed the change averaged about "$60, an average of $65 per household," and said he was "not in favor of increasing the tax burden on retired people living on a fixed income as proposed here."

Mr. Moss, the meeting facilitator, reminded speakers that the public hearing is for the public to comment and that board members would not engage in debate during the hearing. The hearing concluded with an announcement of the remaining two public hearings and a motion to adjourn.

The school system will accept additional public comment at the two remaining hearings and through any comment procedures published with the official notices of the proposed millage.