Coweta commissioners hold first millage hearing, advance FLOST referendum and tentatively approve FY2026 budget

County staff presented the first of three required public hearings on the proposed 2025 millage rates at the Coweta County Board of Commissioners meeting on Aug. 5, explaining recent state law changes and how the county arrived at its recommended figures.

County administrator Michael Fouts and finance staff walked commissioners through the tax digest, the calculation for mills, and examples of homeowner impact. Staff listed the proposed county maintenance and operations (M&O) rate at 4.817 mills. When combined with newly created special service districts (parks and recreation, 911 and EMS) and existing fire levies, the illustrative total rate cited by staff is about 5.937 mills. Using the county's example, a $400,000 home with a homestead exemption would see an estimated annual increase of roughly $187.35 (about $15.16 per month) under the illustrative total, staff said.

Fouts told the board the county did not opt out of the state’s recently enacted floating homestead provisions under House Bill 581 and reviewed how the Department of Revenue now lists fewer levying authorities on the assessment notice; school systems, by contrast, may opt out, which affects individual taxpayer assessments. "FLOST is a 1% sales tax. Revenue generated by FLOST is intentionally designed exclusively for property tax reduction," staff said during the presentation.

The board set two additional required millage public hearings for Tuesday, Aug. 19 — one at 7:30 a.m. and another at 6 p.m. — and closed the first hearing after staff confirmed there were no speakers signed up for or against the proposal that night.

FLOST referendum and Iowa-style IGA: After the millage presentation the board considered and approved a resolution to place a Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) referendum on the November ballot and then approved an intergovernmental agreement outlining how proceeds would be allocated among the county and participating municipalities. Staff estimated, using trend data, that if approved FLOST could collect a total in the low-hundreds of millions over a five-year window and that year‑one county receipts could be on the order of tens of millions of dollars (estimates depend on final voter approval and allocation formulas). Staff emphasized the law caps collections at a five‑year period and that renewal would require additional legislative and local steps.

Budget action: Commissioners tentatively approved the FY2026 budget that staff presented, with a proposed general-fund total of $117,315,031. Staff said the board would be asked to adopt a final budget the night the millage rate is adopted on Aug. 19 to ensure the numbers align.

What happens next: The board will hold two additional millage hearings on Aug. 19 (7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.) and may adopt the final millage rate and the FY2026 budget that night. If the commissioners send FLOST to the ballot, the referendum would appear in November; collections would begin only if voters approve the measure.