Senoia’s City Council agreed Monday night to set its millage rate in late July, but expressed reservations about the short timeframe for the procedure.

City Administrator Richard Ferry explained the city would receive the tax digest from the county June 30, and had to set the city’s millage rate by July 25 for the county to send it into the state.

If the city plans to keep the same millage rate of 6.11 mills, it would have to stage three public hearing because that would fit the state‘s definition of a tax increase since the rate would not be rolled back to account for higher reassessments.

With less than a month to compile the figures, the city faces a time crunch to get in the necessary three public hearings if the rate stays the same or is not lowered.

“We run into this problem every year and have made our feelings known to the county,” said Mayor Robert Belisle.

Belisle said the city has asked to get the tax digest earlier, but has gotten nowhere with county officials. The city wanted to have the hearings at their two regular meetings, but it would be impossible because of legal advertising requirements.

“This whole process is compressed into 25 days,” he said.

After further discussion, the city decided to have two hearings on July 21 and one on July 23. City attorney Drew Whalen explained two can be held on the same day if one is in the morning and one is at night.

Ferry said it would take him about a week after he received the tax digest to determine the city’s millage rate and he could then advertise for the public hearings if they were necessary.

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