There were no surprises when it came to the millage rate adopted Aug. 24 by the Fayette County Commission where the rate was kept at the current 5.4 mills.

Tax bills will be impacted positively by a net millage reduction by the Fayette County School Board, but will be negatively impacted to a greater extent by the General Assembly-imposed loss of the Homeowners Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) credit that had been in effect in previous years.

The county Maintenance and Operation (M&O) millage was held at 5.4 mills again for 2009 after figuring in the reduction for the county sales tax credit. The net unincorporated tax on a home with a fair market value of $250,000 will be $513.

This year’s property tax bill will be negatively affected by the removal for the first time in years of the HTRG credit. Initiated last fall by Gov. Sonny Perdue and approved by the General Assembly during the 2009 session, the credit amounted to a savings in past years of approximately $219 for a Fayette County home valued at $250,000.

The total unincorporated millage with all categories included and with the HTRG credit removed will be $3,080.73 for a home valued at $250,000, representing an increase of nearly $169 over last year.

The difference in the full blow to taxpayers stemming from the removal of the HTRG credit was offset by the net decrease in the school board millage that amounts to $50.50 for a $250,000 home.

The Fayette County Board of Education made changes to the millage rate this year that effectively decreased the rate by 0.5 mills. The school board increased its M&O millage to 20 mills, up from 19.75 last year, and decreased the school bond debt millage from 4.170 mills to 3.420, or .75 mills. The total school millage is now 23.420 for 2009 compared to 23.920 in 2008.

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