A series of public hearings has been scheduled because Peachtree City officials plan to adopt a property tax increase for the coming year’s budget.

As proposed by city staff, the millage increase of .25 mills will increase the annual property tax bill for a $200,000 home by roughly $20. That figure does not take into account any increase in the property value of individual parcels, which also stands to create a rise in property taxes.

The meetings are scheduled for Thursday, July 20 at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and Monday, July 31 at 7 a.m.; all will be held at City Hall.

Georgia law requires three meetings to be held before a property tax increase can be adopted.

The tax increase will help fund three new police officers and three new firefighting positions in the budget as it is currently proposed. The city is also seeking an additional six firefighters to be funded by a grant.

To pare down the budget, Council has postponed design and construction of the expansion of the Gathering Place senior citizen’s center, and raised by 25 percent the amount employees have to pay monthly for medical insurance.

The budget was initially projected to use $800,000 in cash reserves, but that figure has been pared down to $350,000. Part of that change was due to the elimination of an estimated $300,000 in drainage improvements to the tennis center, which will instead be funded out of the city’s stormwater utility program if it is not paid for by the developer and/or designer of the facility.