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Ware County commissioners signal consensus to pursue rollback rate after assessor details budget gap
Summary
After a presentation on new-growth assessments and state homestead reimbursements, commissioners directed staff to pursue the rollback millage rate (11.419) and schedule required public hearings rather than adopting a tax increase at this meeting.
Ware County commissioners on July 30 heard a detailed presentation about the county's millage options and directed staff to pursue the rollback rate rather than raise property taxes this year. Roger, the county staff member who presented the valuations and revenue scenarios, told the board the rollback rate is 11.419 and contrasted that with hypothetical increases of 0.5 mill and 1.0 mill, which his numbers showed would produce larger revenue totals.
"My rollback rate is 11.419," Roger said during the presentation, and he explained the 11.419 figure reflects new-growth assessments and recent appeals the assessor's office has processed. He told commissioners that a 0.5-mill increase (11.919) would yield about $1,810,934 and a full mill would yield about $2,436,052 in additional revenue, while cautioning that some state homestead reimbursement programs operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The board's discussion focused on balancing taxpayer burden with county services. Several commissioners said they favored a rollback to avoid raising resident tax bills while asking department heads to tighten spending and identify nonessential cuts. One commissioner warned of uncertainty in fuel and materials prices and urged contingency planning for fleet and public-safety costs.
Commissioners and staff set a schedule for the legal steps required to adopt a rollback (advertise, public hearing, adoption) and discussed tentative dates for advertising and hearings in August. Staff said the adoption and acceptance of school millage timing may also affect the county's schedule; commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the school board before finalizing the hearing date.
Why it matters: The board's decision to pursue a rollback instead of a tax increase will affect FY2026 revenue available for roads, public safety and county services and shifts pressure onto department budgets and the manager to find savings rather than new revenue.
Next steps: Staff was directed to advertise the public hearing and return to the commission with formal hearing/adoption dates and updated revenue estimates.
