From STAFF REPORTS

Fayette County residents will be getting their property tax bills soon, and county governments are working this week to determine how high those bills will be.

State authorities released the county's tax digest, a listing of the value of taxable property, last week. This week, finance offices are crunching numbers to come up with a proposed tax rate that will provide enough money to fuel the governments' budgets based on that tax digest.

The governments will set tentative tax rates, then advertise those proposed rates for two weeks before conducting public hearings and taking a final vote.

County taxes aren't expected to change. County commissioners are tentatively shooting for a meeting Oct. 11 to adopt a proposed rate of 5.21 mills for the unincorporated areas of the county, the same as last year. The rate incorporated areas is expected to drop slightly, from 6.35 mills to 6.31 mills. Fire district taxes will remain at four mills, said finance director Emory McHugh.

A mill is one dollar per thousand dollars of a property's assessed value, which is 40 percent of its market value, minus any exemptions. Generally, a mill produces about $38 in taxes on a $100,000 home.

Fayetteville City Council has set a meeting for Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. to adopt its proposed tax rate of 2.59 mills plus .75 mills for its capital projects, a reduction of 18 hundredths of a mill from last year's rate of 3.52 mills.

Tyrone Town Council will meet Oct. 7 to adopt its 2.5-mill rate, which hasn't changed since 1994.

The Board of Education is meeting today to tentatively adopt a proposed rate. The current rate is 19.84 mills for maintenance and operation and 4.15 mills for debt service. After advertising the proposed rate, the board will meet again Oct. 8 for a public hearing and final vote.

Peachtree City will vote to retain its current tax rate of 4.06 mills at its regular meeting Oct. 7. The rate hasn't changed in four years.