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Stone Mountain council adopts 16.75-mill tax rate after public objections and budget revisions
Summary
After public comment about transparency and affordability, city staff and council negotiated budget cuts and recommended a 16.75-mill rate; council adopted the rate 4–2, with one council member recorded voting no. The rate is expected to reduce the budget gap to roughly $227,632 at a 93% collection assumption.
The Stone Mountain City Council voted to adopt a property tax (millage) rate of 16.75 mills after extended public comment and staff revisions to the draft budget.
The decision followed a public hearing in which residents urged caution and asked council to tighten the budget rather than raise taxes. “My home’s value increased this year $95,950, which is 25% more than last year, and it’s going to cost me $800 in city taxes additionally,” said one resident, Smith, during the public comment period. Other speakers complained that the city’s publicly posted financial materials did not make clear what drove recent budget increases and urged more transparent reporting.
City staff, led by the finance director Michelle, presented several millage scenarios and a revised budget that reduced personnel spending and identified additional cuts in special events. Michelle told council staff had identified about $172,000 in savings (from staffing and court-service reductions) and expected to identify another $56,000 by trimming special-events support; based on those adjustments and a projected 93% property-tax collection rate, staff said a 16.75-mill rate would leave an estimated shortfall of approximately $227,632 but would allow the city to maintain current service levels.
Council members debated trade-offs between limiting taxpayer burden and preserving staffing and services. One member urged the council to pursue long-term revenue diversification through economic development and annexation to reduce reliance on residential property taxes; others stressed the short-term risk of cutting public safety or losing personnel.
A motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-13 setting the millage at 16.75 mills passed on a recorded 4–2 vote. Ryan Smith (post three) is recorded in the transcript voting no; the transcript lists the tally as 4 yes, 2 no but does not record the second dissent by name. The ordinance will be followed by a formal budget amendment to reflect the reductions staff outlined.
The council’s action ends the public-hearing stage on the millage for this fiscal year; the adopted rate is less than the staff’s initial recommendation of 17.5 mills but higher than the rollback rate the council used in prior years. Council members and staff said they will continue to update residents monthly on revenues and expenditures and are preparing public materials to help residents understand fund balances and the city’s multiple funds.
