From Staff Reports

Fayette residents' property tax rates will drop this year, but the savings will be barely noticeable.

The county Board of Commissioners and Board of Education Monday set the property tax rates at pretty much the same as last year's rates.

School board members voted in a special 8 a.m. meeting Monday to set tax rates for fiscal year 2000 at 19.84 mills for maintenance and operations, and 3.69 mills for debt payment.

The rate for bonded indebtedness represents a reduction of .46 mills, said school superintendent Dr. John DeCotis. That's a savings of about $17 for each $100,000 of a property's market value.

The maintenance and operations millage remains the same as last year. DeCotis noted that the rate should generate $49.7 million. “We estimate that approximately $1,025,060 will be collected from intangible taxes for a total of $50,774,312 for maintenance and operations tax collections,” he said.

The 3.69 mills for bond requirements, he said, should generate $9.39 million.

“We estimate that approximately $337,050 will be collected from the intangible tax to make up the remainder of the $9,727,564 budgeted for bond tax collections,” he added.

County commissioners ratified the school board's action at a special meeting at 9 a.m., then set property tax rates for operation of the county at 5.21 mills in unincorporated areas, 6.31 mills in the cities and four mills in the county fire district.

The municipal rate is four hundredths of a mill lower than last year's rate, saving homeowners about $1.50 per $100,000.

Fayetteville residents will see a reduction of 18 hundredths of a mill, about $7 per $100,000. The city last week adopted its rate of 2.59 mills for operations plus .75 mills for capital projects, a total of 3.29 mills.

Taxes in Peachtree City, Tyrone and Brooks remain unchanged, at 4.06 mills, 2.5 mills and one mill respectively.