Villa Rica council keeps 2026 millage at 5.588 mills, citing digest growth and budget pressures

The Villa Rica City Council voted to set the 2026 millage rate at 5.588 mills following a staff presentation on the city's tax digest and budget needs. Finance staff recommended maintaining the same millage as 2025 rather than adopting the calculated rollback rate.

Hallman, who presented the digest figures to the council, recommended keeping the current millage. "The recommendation, we are recommending that you maintain the same millage as 2025, which is the 5.588 mills versus the rollback of 5.388 mills," Hallman said. She told the council that maintaining the rate would generate about $260,000 in additional revenue.

In the presentation, Hallman said the city's 2026 gross digest was $1,550,000,000 and that net digest rose by about 8.25% year over year. She also cited a projected tax-allocation-district (TAD) debt-service payment of just under $2,000,000 for FY2027 and an anticipated general-fund shortfall of roughly $800,000 that would otherwise need to be covered from city reserves.

A council member moved to adopt a resolution setting the 2026 millage at 5.588 mills; the motion was seconded and carried without recorded opposition. After the vote someone on the dais stated, "That is unanimous." The council then moved on to other agenda business.