Gilmer County passed its millage rate for 2012 at the Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting last week. In the meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved the 2012 General Maintenance and Operations (M&O) millage rate to 7.218 and also renewed the 1 mil General Obligations (GO) bond on the millage rate.

During a Board of Commissioners’ workshop meeting on Thursday, Gilmer County Commissioner Chairman JC Sanford and Post 1 Commissioner Danny Hall discussed the change in the millage rate that will be occurring for 2012, while Post 2 Commissioner Will Beattie was not in attendance.

“Unfortunately it is just a real slight decrease,”

said Sanford about the millage rate. Sanford then explained how the commissioners’ had to adjust the millage rate from the county’s given rollback rate.

Next in the workshop, Financial Officer Faye Harvey further explained the changes to the millage rate because of the county’s rollback rate.

The county’s gross tax digest decreased 11.25 percent, she said, and the net tax digest was down 8.93 percent. As such, the county received a rollback rate of 7.254.

“If we would have set the millage rate at 7.254, it would have given us about $36,000 more than last year,”

said Harvey defending the county’s new millage rate.

Instead, however, Harvey said that in equalizing the mileage rate out, the board adjusted its millage rate to 7.218, so there would be no increase in the county’s income at all from taxes, and in fact, the county’s income would be about 900 dollars less.

Commissioner Chairman Sanford then said how the new millage rate still could affect property taxes for some people.

“Unfortunately, the way assessments work, whenever we try to remain constant with our income, some people’s tax bills will go down and some will go up. That’s sometimes hard to explain to people, but it just depends on what the tax assessors valued their property at,”

said Sanford.

In comparison to last year, the mileage rate was 6.583 with 1 mil for the GO bond, which was also approved for 2012.

As for the county’s GO bond, Sanford said in the meeting,

“There is just no way of getting around it at this point in time.”

All and all, Sanford said about the new millage rate, that county departments once again this year will be asked not to expect any raises or to expect to add any personnel, and ended by saying,

“It will be a pretty constant thing from what we have had for the last few years.”

To view Thursday night’s workshop meeting in full, please watch the video below.