Wednesday, October 3, 2001
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Wednesday, October 3, 2001 |
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County votes 3-2 to hike taxes 6.1% By DAVE HAMRICK
Property taxes in Fayette this year will produce $3 million more in revenue than they did last year about 11.4 percent though the tax rates will remain the same. About 60 percent of the increase comes from increasing property values, adjusted annually by the tax assessor's office, the remainder from new construction. Therefore, maintaining the current tax rate is considered to produce a 6.1 percent tax increase. Two county commissioners last week argued that the tax increase resulting from revaluation is not fair to taxpayers. "I can't support it because I think we need to take the taxpayers into consideration a little bit more than we are and roll back the tax rate," said Commissioner Herb Frady. Frady argued that the county should increase its budget only about 5 percent, equal to the increased revenue from new construction, and not absorb the increase that comes from revaluation, and Commissioner A.G. VanLandingham agreed, saying that, with Delta Air Lines laying off workers, it's a bad time to be increasing people's taxes. But Commissioner Linda Wells said the county needs the increased revenue to prepare for increased costs that will come from opening a new county jail next year, along with having to deal with new state and federal regulations that will cost money. "We are not amassing a fortune here for the sake of amassing a fortune," she said, adding that rolling back the tax rate would save the average homeowner only about $25. "If you don't have a job, that little bit of money matters," countered VanLandingham. But commissioners Peter Pfeifer and Greg Dunn agreed with Wells and approved the tax rates for 2001. The rate for unincorporated Fayette County will be 10.418 mills. A mill is one dollar per thousand dollars of a home's assessed value. Assessed value is 40 percent of market value minus any exemptions. Tax rates in Fayetteville and Peachtree City will be 7.585 mills, and for Brooks, Tyrone and Woolsey 11.363. The unincorporated county rate and those in Brooks, Tyrone and Woolsey include a 3.75-mill tax for fire protection.
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