Wednesday, August 15,2018
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A
BOE discusses rolling back millage rate
By Jessica Brown
jbrown@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County
Board of Education held
its first millage rate hear
ing for fiscal year 2019 on
Aug. 7, where board mem
ber Will Wade suggested
the possibility of a small
rollback.
The school millage rate
has been set at 15.778
mills since 2016, but there
is a possibility that it could
be rolled back slightly due
to a higher increase in the
2018 tax digest than antic
ipated.
When the board final
ized the 2019 budget, offi
cials anticipated a 10 per
cent increase in the local
tax digest based on num
bers available in early
June, which would gener
ate $20.8 million in local
revenue if the millage rate
was maintained.
The 2018 tax digest
numbers were finalized at
the end of June and
showed that the tax digest
increased by 12.69 per
cent, more than the board
projected according to
Superintendent Damon
Gibbs.
If the millage rate were
to stay at 15.778, it would
generate $21.3 million in
local revenue for the
school system, an increase
of $518,206 from the
board’s projection.
Based on maintaining
the millage rate, the end
ing fund balance for the
school system would be
approximately $5.2 mil
lion, which is within the
range that Gibbs said he
would like in the ending
balance.
“I lean on the conserva
tive side based on the
amount of growth that
we’ve seen to date,” Gibbs
said. “My concern is that
we have continued to work
the ending fund balance
down to a reasonable num
ber.”
Over the past five years
the board has worked to
reduce the ending fund
balance to be around 12
percent of the operating
costs. The 2019 budget
was set at $47,766,471, so
12 percent would be
approximately $5.64 mil
lion. The board wants to
stay within $5 to $5.5 mil
lion in the ending fund
balance.
Based on the 12.69 per
cent increase to the digest,
Wade said Aug. 7 that the
board might be in a posi
tion to roll back the mill-
age rate slightly as the tax
digest projection increase
would generate an addi
tional $518,000.
“I think we’re in a posi
tion where we have a lot of
longer term goals,” Wade
said. “I don’t think we
should collect more than
we need and when we
have an opportunity to
give a little back especially
when we’re in an economy
where tax values have
gone up we just need to
consider it.”
For the first time since
2008, before the economic
recession, the school board
is set to collect over $20
million in local revenue.
“My thought process is
that the community, if you
look at the last decade
when we were going
through the economic
woes, we did not get push-
back from the raise in
millage in order to just to
try to keep up,” Wade said.
“Now that the economy is
better there is a tug for me
to continue to make sure
we advocate for the tax
payer.”
Wade suggested that the
board look at a potential
rollback either this year or
next year.
At the second hearing
Aug. 13, Financial
Director Jamie Ulrich took
FROM 1A
Teen
Shortly before school
released on Thursday
afternoon, the Dawson
County School System
was made aware of the
situation and the student
was removed from the
campus, according to
Superintendent Damon
Gibbs.
“The Dawson County
School System takes all
threats seriously and, as
always, the safety of our
students is our top prior
ity,” Gibbs said in an
emailed statement Aug.
10. “I want to thank
Sheriff Johnson and his
staff for acting quickly
and handling the situa
tion professionally. The
school system will deal
with the student per the
Code of Conduct to
ensure the ongoing safe
ty of our student body.”
The juvenile is cur
rently being held in a
youth detention center.
The sheriff’s office is
continuing to investi
gate.
As school safety con
tinues to be the top pri
ority, Dawson County
Schools encourage
reporting of any suspi
cious activity through
the “See Something Say
Something” initiative.
Information on the ini
tiative can be found at
dawsoncounty schools,
org and on the 1 Dawson
mobile app.
Students, parents, fac
ulty and concerned citi
zens are encouraged to
report suspicious activi
ty and safety concerns
through the initiative.
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Wade’s comments into
consideration and provid
ed figures for a potential
millage rate of 15.500. The
.278 reduction amounts to
a difference of $375,861 in
revenue collection and a
total net of $20.9 million.
Brooke Anderson, gen
eral manager of the
Etowah Water and Sewer
Authority, was the only
citizen to speak at the sec
ond hearing. Anderson
said he would like to see
the millage rate remain at
15.778.
On the first day of
school, the school system
had an increase in enroll
ment by five percent,
which the board antici
pates to be higher by the
end of the school year. It’s
something Anderson asked
the board to keep in mind
in their decision.
“Your current growth is
five percent. I can tell you
the homes being built in
this community are
exploding. You’re not
going to end with five per
cent. You’re going to end
with something higher,”
said Anderson. “If you
come up short the kids are
going to lose, not you.”
Anderson also explained
that the recent tax revalua
tions completed by the
county were on the resi
dential side, and that the
commercial side hasn’t
been finalized.
“If you lower your mill-
age you’re going to lose
some opportunity next
year when the reassess
ment on the commercial
side does come in,”
Anderson said. “You don’t
want to lose that opportu
nity because that could be
another 10, 12 percent
change in the digest on
that side of it.”
Another important fac
tor was that the board of
commissioners has yet to
determine if it will roll
back the county millage
rate this year. It wouldn’t
make sense for the school
board to roll back its mill-
age if the county remains
the same, according to
Anderson.
“If you’re going to lower
it a mill then we’ll talk. If
you’re not going to lower
it a mill I wouldn’t change
it,” Anderson said. “You
gain a lot by having a little
bit better fund balance.”
The third and final hear
ing before the school mill-
age rate is set will be at 6
p.m. Aug. 20 at the board
of education meeting room
at 28 Main St.
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