The Glynn County Board of Education does not plan to raise its millage rate this year and will host three public input sessions before adopting its current millage rate Aug. 12.
Glynn County Tax Commissioner Jeff Chapman recently reported final tax digest numbers to school district staff. The numbers showed an overall 4.9 percent increase in the digest, said Andrea Preston, assistant superintendent of finances for Glynn County Schools, during a special-called meeting of the school board Tuesday.
The school district’s fiscal year 2022 budget, approved in June, planned for a 4% increase.
The school system plans to retain its current 16.157 millage rate despite a potential rollback rate.
“Even though you’re not raising the millage rate, you have to advertise that you’re increasing taxes because you’re not decreasing the millage rate to offset an inflationary value in the digest,” Preston said.
If the rollback rate were applied, the school system would need to decrease its budgeted revenue in the general fund by $1.2 million, Preston said.
“I would like to recommend leaving the millage rate the same,” Preston said. “The extra .9 percent and the increase in the values would generate about $668,000 in additional revenue to the general fund.”
The tax increase only applies to those whose property values rose and who do not fall under the Scarlett Williams property tax homestead exemption.
State law, however, requires the district to advertise a tax increase and specifies the language that must be used in the notice.
“So it looks like we’re raising taxes on all homeowners when we’re not,” Preston said.
An advertisement ran Thursday in The Brunswick News under the title “Notice of Property Tax Increase.”
“The Glynn County Board of Education has tentatively adopted a millage rate that will require an increase in property taxes by 2.48 percent,” the notice reads. “… The tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 16.157 mills, an increase of .391 mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 15.766 mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $225,000 is approximately $87.98, and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $250,000 is approximately $97.75.”
State law also requires the district to hold three public hearings before voting to adopt the millage rate. The school board will host a hearing at noon and 6 p.m. Thursday and a final hearing at noon on Aug. 12, after which the school board will vote to adopt the 2021 millage rate.
All hearings will be held at the school administration building, 1313 Egmont St., Brunswick.
In other business, the school board voted Tuesday to:
• Renew Achieve 3000, a reading program used at elementary and middle schools that will be expanded this year to the high school level. The three-year renewal will cost $813,402, which will be covered by CARES Act funding.
• Approve a $64,700 contract with R&R Cleanup to pave the asphalt drive connecting Brunswick High School’s parking lot and field house to Habersham Street.
• Approve a $124,454 contract with Owens and Pridgen Inc. to refurbish the press box at Glynn County Stadium.
• Approve a $170,880 contract with Mingeldorff’s to purchase HVAC equipment for Goodyear Elementary.
• Approve the surplus of nutrition department equipment.