Rockdale County adopts 2025 millage at rollback 18.284; host percentage set at 50.29%

Rockdale County commissioners voted to set the 2025 millage rate at the rollback rate of 18.284 and to set the 2025 host percentage at 50.29%, adopting the resolution by voice vote.

Sue Sanders, the county’s interim finance director, said the proposed rate is a reduction from the 2024 rate and described how the county’s general fund is allocated: roughly 42% to public safety (including sheriff’s office, fire rescue and emergency services), 37% to general government functions, 10% to court services, 7% to recreation and 4% to transportation. Sanders gave revenue estimates tied to the proposed rate: $91,030,520 from property taxes and $38,147,777 from non-property sources, for a 2025 total of $129,178,297. "The proposed millage for 2025 is 18.284, which is a millage reduction," she said.

Sanders used sample calculations to illustrate homeowner impact. For a home with a $100,000 assessed value and both the homestead and host exemptions, she said taxes for 2025 would be about $227.17; without exemptions the estimate would be $731.36. For a $350,000 home with exemptions she gave an estimate of $1,136.12 versus $2,559.76 without exemptions. Sanders also explained the rollback concept as "the rate needed to generate the same amount of revenue from property taxes as the previous year," and told commissioners the proposed rate is 0.406 mills less than 2024.

On the host (sales-tax penny credited to property bills), staff clarified that the resolution lists a host percentage of 50.29% and recommended returning 100% of the host collections at the register back to taxpayers; by law the county could keep up to 20% for capital but the county has been returning host collections to taxpayers for multiple years. Sanders said the county collects roughly $24 million a year in the host penny and that, for homesteaded properties that receive the host exemption, about 22% of each tax dollar goes to the county and about 78% goes to the school system.

During public comment, resident Nick Duva urged seeing the county and school millage together and praised county communications. "I look at it as an investment in our community," Duva said, asking for a joint session with the school system to better understand the total tax burden. Commissioners thanked the public relations and finance teams for outreach materials, including a brief explanatory video.

An unidentified commissioner moved to set the millage at 18.284, set the host percentage at 50.29% and adopt the resolution; another commissioner seconded. Following brief remarks about ongoing efforts to cut waste and constrain new hires, the board approved the motion by voice vote. Sanders said because the board adopted the rollback rate, no additional public hearings were required; the tax commissioner's office will forward the millage to the state.

The board adjourned after brief additional comments about revenue-recovery efforts such as updated user fees for planning, zoning and permits and continued work on grant recovery. The county did not provide a roll-call vote tally in the meeting transcript; the motion passed by voice vote and the chair said the motion carried.