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Lowndes County adopts 2025 millage rollback of 5.051 and sets special-district rates
Summary
The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners adopted a rollback millage rate of 5.051 for 2025 and approved special-district millages: industrial authority at 1.10, parks and recreation at 1.25 and fire services at 2.50. Commissioners voted by voice on each measure with no recorded opposition.
The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners voted to set the county maintenance-and-operations millage at a rollback rate of 5.051 for 2025, county staff reported, a reduction from the prior-year rate of 5.283 that avoids advertising a property tax increase.
County staff presented the calculations behind the recommendation, saying reassessment growth this year totaled $235 million on a $5.3 billion digest, which produced a millage equivalent of 0.232 mills. "The proposal tonight is to use the rollback millage of 5.051," staff said during the presentation. After brief commissioner questions, a motion to adopt the 5.051 millage was made, seconded and carried by voice vote.
The board also approved three special-district millages. Staff outlined options for the Industrial Authority, which historically carried a 1.00 mill rate but had been 0.823 last year; commissioners voted to set the industrial millage at 1.10. The Parks and Recreation Authority millage was set at the statutory minimum of 1.25, and the special-district millage for fire services in the unincorporated area was approved at 2.50. Each of those measures was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
County staff illustrated homeowner impacts with examples: under the 2024 combined rates a $200,000 home would have generated an estimated $1,765 tax bill; under the proposed configuration that hypothetical bill would be about $1,717, a roughly $48 difference. Staff also provided a breakdown showing how each property-tax dollar is allocated among county operations, recreation and industrial authorities, school systems, fire services and city governments.
Why it matters: Adopting the rollback rate prevents the county from having to advertise a tax increase and hold additional public hearings. The changes to special-district millages shift modest amounts of revenue among county funds and authorities; staff noted the industrial-authority increase would generate approximately $500,000 in additional revenue at full collection rates.
The board did not record roll-call tallies in the packet; minutes reflect motions carried by voice vote. The next steps include formalizing the millage rates in budget documents and publishing required notices.
