Rockdale County adopts 2025 rollback millage of 18.284, sets host credit at 50.29%

Rockdale County’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in a called meeting to set the 2025 millage rate at 18.284 and to set the county’s host percentage at 50.29%, board members said.

The action, moved by a commissioner (speaker 7) and seconded by another board member (speaker 6), was adopted by voice vote after a presentation from interim finance director Sue Sanders. Sanders told the board the proposed rollback rate of 18.284 is 0.406 mills lower than the 2024 rate of 18.69 and described how the rate relates to the county’s general fund priorities.

The county’s finance presentation said 42% of the general fund is dedicated to public safety (including the sheriff’s office, fire rescue and emergency medical services), 37% to general government functions such as finance and planning, 10% to court services, 7% to recreation and 4% to transportation. Sanders said a millage of 18.284 would generate $91,030,520 in property tax revenues; non-property tax revenues were estimated at $38,147,777 for a combined $129,178,297 in total 2025 revenues.

Sanders and other staff walked the board through sample homeowner impacts. Under the finance figures, a $100,000 home with both the homestead and host exemptions would pay about $227.17 in county property taxes for 2025 (the estimated tax without exemptions was $731.36); a $350,000 home would pay about $1,136.12 with exemptions (about $2,559.76 without).

Board members discussed budget timing and near-term cost pressures, with Sanders noting the adopted budget base of $123,506,931, a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment this year that was covered from contingency, roughly $3.1 million in additional personnel requests, $2 million budgeted for inflation, and an expected half-year cost related to House Bill 85 for judges’ pay next year.

Before the motion, commissioners sought clarification about the host credit (the local 1% sales-tax penny that reduces property bills). Staff explained that the figure in the resolution is 50.29% and that, while by law the county could keep up to 20% of host collections for capital, the county is recommending returning 100% of the host collections to taxpayers and applying the 50.29% factor as shown in the resolution.

A resident, Nick Duva, used the meeting’s public comment period to ask that future discussions include both county and school millage presentations together so residents can see the combined tax impact. Sanders and board members said the rollback choice eliminated the need for additional public hearings and that the tax commissioner’s office will file the adopted rate with the state to complete the process for the year.

The board adjourned after brief closing remarks urging residents to "shop The Rock" to support local revenues and after thanking the finance and public relations teams for their work.