Wednesday, August 14, 2002
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Wednesday, August 14, 2002 |
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County Commission lowers property tax millage rate By JOHN THOMPSON
In a surprising decision last week, the Fayette County Commission decided to lower the millage rate for the county's property owners. Usually, millage decisions are done in September when the final tax digest is completed, but the county's finance director Mark Pulliam said the County Commission wanted this done now. "During the budget process, the commission wanted to see if this was possible," he said. Pulliam believes the rate can be lowered by at least .46 mills, and possibly more, and still fund this year's budget. The county's property values rose because of reassessments, but Pulliam said the rate will be rollbacked and reflect only the natural growth of the county. Last year, the millage rate was 6.64 for the unincorporated county and 7.59 mills for incorporated residents. Pulliam said homeowners with a $200,000 home should see their property tax lowered by at least $30 this year. The County Commission was thrilled to hear Pulliam's report, but Commissioner Herb Frady wondered why the county was doing this now, instead of waiting for the final tax digest figures. "I've said we need to live off of our natural growth for years," he said. The County Commission voted unanimously to lower the rate.
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