Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
September 10, 2008
^Reporter—
Schools OK millage rate
over taxpayer protest
BY GINA HERRING
Monroe County’s school
board says there’s just not
enough wiggle room in its
$32 million budget to lower
taxes below the 13.1 mill
preliminary rate it set Aug.
12. On Thursday the board
voted to set its final 2008
property tax rate at 13.1,
despite not having a final
tax digest yet. Assistant
superintendent for support
services Jackson Daniel told
the board Thursday that
over $4 million in state
budget cuts over the last
five years have forced local
taxpayers to shoulder
almost 60 percent of the
burden of funding local edu
cation.
The school system, which
operates on a fiscal year
that began July 1, passed a
$32 million budget in June
for 2008-09 and needs $18.4
million in local funds to
meet it. “We are still
required by state law to pro
vide certain things and
spend a certain amount of
money, but we are getting
less money from the state to
do so,” said Daniel. Due to
an overwhelming amount of
property value appeals, the
final tax digest is not
expected to be ready until
later this month, but Daniel
said chief appraiser Alveno
Ross did not expect the
digest to fluctuate very
much. Over the last few
weeks Daniel says the
board has been combing
over the budget to see if
anything can be cut. The
board voted in August to cut
$300,000 from a fund need
ed to fund start-up costs
associated with the opening
of the new Sutton
Elementary School. But the
board says with 85 percent
of the budget paying for
personnel, it’s not a matter
of what to cut, but who.
And now the board is look
ing to hire two more teach
ers at T.G. Scott because
kindergarten and fifth
grade class sizes have
exceeded the limit.
Superintendent Anthony
Pack says, as of Sept. 4,
3,999 are enrolled in
Monroe County schools, an
increase of 49 students over
this time last year.
Taxpayer E.C. Holland
criticized the board for not
cutting the budget when
taxpayers all over the coun
try are having to tighten
their belts. “How can you
justify a tax increase when
everyone else is having to
cut their budgets due to fuel
prices?” asked Holland.
“We have looked at every
thing we could cut,” said
board chairman Dr. J. Ray
Grant. “A lot of these are
mandated increases and
some of them are growth
driven, meaning we have to
have more teachers, we
have to have safe buses.”
Holland complained that
some school bus drivers are
using buses to drive back
and forth from home in
between routes and are
driving the buses on person
al errands.
“We’re constantly looking
at ways to make sure that
buses are only used to
transport students,” said
Grant.
Superintendent Anthony
Pack said he has been talk
ing to transportation direc
tor Jeffery Turner and look
ing at ways to reduce the
number of miles buses are
driven. Pack says any com
plaints about bus drivers
using buses for personal use
will be taken very seriously.
“It is a priority,” said
Daniel. “The ones that are
reported are followed up
on.”
The amount budgeted for
fuel costs is $360,000, a lit
tle over one percent of the
total budget.
Vice-chairman J. P. Evans
said he reluctantly made a
motion to set the millage
rate at 13.1 with the stipu
lation that any money col
lected in excess of the budg
et will not be spent, but will
be set aside for next year.
We want to assure the tax
payers that we are doing
everything we can and will
set aside any money over
the amount we need to
reduce taxes next year,” said
Evans.
The 13.1 school tax rate is
eight-tenths of a mill lower
than the 13.9 mills levied in
2007. However, with proper
ty values up over 20 per
cent, that still means a tax
increase for most Monroe
County property owners.
For a house valued at
$100,000 tax payers can
expect to pay $72.80 more
for the school portion of
their tax bill. The county
has yet to set a millage rate
for 2008, opting to wait
until the final tax digest is
complete. Chief appraiser
Alveno Ross says the
appeals should be settled by
Sept. 19 and the final tax
digest should be ready soon
after.
Meanwhile the school
board voted to borrow $3
million to meet payroll
expenses between now and
December, when tax pay
ments will come in. In the
past, the school board only
looked at local banks.
However, an unsolicited bid
from SunTrust Bank in
Macon had the lowest inter
est rate at 2.92 percent, so
the board voted to go with
the bid. The other bids
included Monroe County
Bank at 3.24 percent and
BB&T at 3.02 percent.
Farmers Bank and Bank of
America did not bid.
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1
Forsyth-Monroe Chamber of Commerce
Annual Golf Tournament
The Golf Club at River Forest
October 6,2008
Player/Team Application
Company:
Phone Number:
Team Contact Name:
Contact Email:
Player & handicap
Player & handicap
Player & handicap
Player & handicap
I would like to purchase
mulligan(s) for $5 each or 5 for $20
Tournament Cost:
$100 per player ($400 per team)
Fee includes: lunch, green fees, cart, beverages on the course
Tournament Date October 6, 2008:
Registration 10:30 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.
Lunch 11:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.
Shotgun Start — Scramble 12:30 p.m.
Payment:
Make checks payable to:
Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce or
go online www.forsyht-monroechamber.com and
pay with a credit card
Please mail entry form and payment to:
Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce
68 North Lee Street
Forsyth, GA 31029
Chamber of Commerce Contact:
Laurie Lee at 478-994-9239 or laurie@forsyth-monroechamber.com
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House calls and full
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