The Peachtree City Council is expected to set the city’s millage rate at a public hearing Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall.

Even though the city is leaving its millage rate the same, the net result will be a property tax increase for home and business owners whose assessed property values increased from last year to this year.

The millage rate is used to calculate the amount of property taxes for a given parcel. This proposed 2007-2008 city budget totals $28.36 million, and includes six new firefighters and three new police officers in addition to an accountant and a one-year contract for a full-time assistant city planner.

In a bid to recruit more police officers, the city is also budgeting a 4.5 percent hike to the starting pay for police officers and corporals, though that figure is well short of the initial raises sought by Police Chief James Murray.

Council plans to spend down the city’s cash reserves, using $852,000 to balance the budget, which will still leave the city with a healthy cash reserve on hand for emergencies, officials have said.

The general fund budget represents a 9.25 percent increase from last year.

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