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Residents urge cuts over tax increases; highlight elderly renters and limits of homestead exemptions
Summary
Two residents spoke during public comment: Shane Cowan urged the commission to find internal cuts rather than raise taxes, warned landlords will pass increases to elderly tenants, and said homestead exemptions 'don't help them at all.' Mark Wall compared the city's modest millage change to much larger county increases.
During the public comment period, resident Shane Cowan (36 Mountain Chase Road) told the commission he would rather see cuts than a tax increase and said many elderly renters and landlords will not benefit from homestead exemptions. Cowan asked why staff and commissioners do not look deeper inside city government for potential cuts and warned that landlords will pass tax increases to low-income occupants. "It's always charging the taxpayer more," Cowan said.
Another resident, Mark Wall (38 Devonshire Drive), compared Rome's proposed millage change to steeper county increases, citing an 18.48% increase in Hogg County and saying the total taxes are about 10% higher than last year in his view. Both comments were part of the first public hearing on the millage rate; the commission closed the hearing after public comment and scheduled further hearings.
