Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
ftRgparter
August 10, 2022
Kate
Kirbo
Peer Rated for Highest Level
of Professional Excellence
Join us in the fellowship hall of New Providence Baptist Church
to find out more about our boys, men, and adventurous year
that we have planned. Trail Life USA is a Church-Based,
Christ-Centered, Boy Focused mentoring and
discipleship journey that speaks to the heart of a boy.
HOW WE LET BOYS BE BOYS!
2560 Highway 41 South Forsyth, GA 31029
TrailLifeTroopGAI 315@gmaii.com
(478) 992-0044
“Staying one step ahead of the everyone else ”
www.headhvac.com
• Residential & Commercial • We Service All Brands
• Honest & Reliable Service • Licensed and Insured
1 Experience You Can Count On • Locally Owned & Family Operated
• Financing Available • Service Agreements
Thank You for Your Business1
f
License# CN210324
Like us on Facebook n
When you purchase a Lennox 8
healing and owing system, you
also have the comfort of knowing
it’s backed by one of the best
warranties in the business.
PREMIER DEALER
Ltmdxy
Commissioners OK tiny
property tax rate cut
As values surge, Emami fights losing battle for bigger rate cut
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
Monroe County com
missioners seem poised to
approve a small cut in their
millage rate that will still
give them $1.7 million in
new revenue in 2023.
Commissioners voted 3-1
via e-mail on Wednesday,
Aug. 3 to set the countys
tentative 2022 millage rate
at 12.63 mills, a .17-mill
reduction from 2021. After
advertising the rate in this
newspaper, the legal organ,
commissioners by law can
still cut tax rates further, but
cannot cut it less or go up.
Commission chairman
Greg Tapley, District 2 com
missioner Eddie Rowland,
and District 3 commis
sioner John Ambrose all
voted for the small cut in
millage recommended
by county finance officer
Lorri Robinson. District 1
commissioner Lamarcus
Davis did not weigh in on
the e-mail recommenda
tion. But District 4 commis
sioner George Emami voted
no, saying he wants to give
property owners back more
of their money rather than
fattening county coffers.
“I am not in favor of
adding any additional col
lections beyond what we
collected last year’’ Emami
wrote to commissioners and
county manager Jim Hedges
in response to the proposal.
“Hard NO from me. We
need to reduce the millage
rate to equal revenues from
2022. Please come up with a
budget that makes this hap
pen. I hope I’m not the only
one who feels this way’’
But Emami, who had led
the effort to turn a planned
tax increase in 2021 into a
tax cut, was the only com
missioner this year wanting
to cap spending.
“Usually I don’t like votes
by email,” responded chair
man Tapley, “but since you
only have two votes in the
affirmative and Georges
email is a non-sequitur,
please accept this email as
my vote in the affirmative to
advertise as recommended.”
Then in a dig at Emami,
added, “In fact, make mine
a hard YES.”
The email string contin
ued a tax and spending
debate that had begun a day
earlier at commissioners’
meeting on Aug. 2. There,
Emami said his taxes went
up $900 last year and that
the county has increased
spending by significantly
more than the 700 residents
the county is adding, on
average, per year. Emami
acknowledged that most
people recognize that coun
ty services have improved
with the increase in county
spending. But he said the
county can’t keep spending
at the current rate.
“Where does it stop?”
asked Emami.
Tapley pressed Emami
to say where he will reduce
spending in order to reduce
taxes more.
“Do you cut your budget
at your restaurant [Fox City]
because your costs go up?”
asked Tapley “What do you
want to cut George?”
Emami replied that he
had volunteered to help
county manager Hedges go
through every department
budget to tighten spending,
but said no one responded
to his offer. As for his res
taurant, Emami said unlike
the county, a private busi
ness cannot dictate what
revenues are.
“The market determines
how many people will buy
a burger or a beer,” said
Emami. “The county doesn’t
have that problem. We want
to spend more, we just tax
people more.”
Emami said Fox City
brought in a consultant who
helped them lower their
labor costs from 36 to 24
percent of their revenues.
Emami said the county
should apply some of those
same efficiencies.
Ambrose responded that
Monroe County has had to
spend more because previ
ous commissioners kicked
the can down the road as far
as buying equipment.
“That’s why my a— is up
here today’ said Ambrose.
“We didn’t have trucks. The
fire department was falling
apart. We’ve had to pay
for the bill that was kicked
down the road so many
years, so of course it’s gonna
go up.
“We’ve accomplished a
lot,” added Ambrose. “I’m
proud of what we’ve done.”
The county is only re
quired to hold one public
hearing on the tax rate,
which will be at 9 a.m. on
Thursday, Aug. 18. Com
missioners are expected to
set a final millage rate at
the conclusion of the Aug.
18 hearing. This is the fifth
consecutive year that Mon
roe County has not raised
the millage rate.
According to 2022
Monroe County tax digest
projections, 12.63 mills will
generate $21.3 million in
property tax revenue, which
is up $1.4 million from the
$19.8 million generated at a
millage rate of 12.8 mills in
2021.
Under the projected
millage, a Monroe County
homeowner with a home
valued at $250,000 and
a homestead exemption
would pay $ 1,111 in county
property taxes for 2022, a
reduction of $15 from the
$1,126 the same home-
owner paid in 2021. That
doesn’t include school board
taxes, which are higher than
county government. The
only way that a homeowner
would pay more in property
taxes in 2022 than 2021 is if
the homeowners valuation
has risen due to reassess
ment.
Commissioners initially
approved by general con
sensus on Tuesday, Aug. 2
to set the countys tentative
2022 millage rate at 12.05
mills, a three-quarter mill
reduction from 2021. But
the next day commission
ers approved the smaller
reduction to give themselves
room in case they change
their minds.
Hedges said there was
considerable growth in the
countys tax digest in 2022
in addition to revaluations.
He said if commission
ers kept the same millage
rate as 2021,12.8 mills, the
county would have collected
another $284,503, a total of
$1.7 million more than last
year.
Hedges presented five
options on Tuesday for the
county’s 2022 millage rate.
1.) Roll back the millage rate
to 12.63 mills. 2.) Reduce
the millage rate by a half
mill to 12.3 mills. 3.) Reduce
the millage rate by three-
quarter mills to 12.05 mills.
4.) Reduce the millage rate
by one mill to 11.8 mills. 5.)
Reduce the millage rate by
one and one-quarter mills
to 11.55 mills.
Emami preferred the lat
ter. Hedges said at the roll
back millage of 12.63 mills,
Monroe County would
have just over $2.3 million
in contingency for 2022 but
that figure would diminish
with each further millage
rate reduction.
Hedges said given the
unknown cost of health
insurance, workers’ comp,
and funding for Monroe
County Hospital for 2023,
he recommended reduc
ing the county’s millage by
three-quarter mills for 2022
to a total of 12.05 mills. At a
rate of 12.05 mills, Monroe
County would have just
under $1.4 million in con
tingency for 2022.
Emami said even though
the millage rate in 2021 was
lowered by nearly four-
tenths of a mill, his own
property taxes still increased
by about $900 and said
some constituents saw
their tax bills rise by more
than 10 percent. Therefore,
Emami said he doesn’t want
the 2022 county budget to
increase by even a single
dollar from the final budget
in 2021.
“I don’t speak for just my
self?’ Emami said. “I want
y all to know that. There’s
a lot of people that feel the
way that I do, and they are
tired of bearing more than
their share of the weight to
carry the expenses of this
count)?’
However, Ambrose and
Tapley disagreed, saying
that Monroe County's
service needs have in
creased through the years
with additional population
and increased traffic on
1-75. Commissioner Davis
added that product costs
are constantly rising due to
inflation as well.
Some of the information in
this story is courtesy of Mon
roe County public informa
tion officer Richard Dumas.
Saturday, August 20
from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
OPEN
HOUSE
ft
Trail Life
www.TrailLifeU5A.com
INJURED?
The Name You’ve Come to Know with the Experience You Need
B.J.
SURVANT
Abbie
Brown
Marty
Senn
Martindale-Hubbeir
PREEMINENT
★ ★★★★
Carl
Reynolds
Wendall
Horne, III
Barret
Kirbo
Reynolds, ■
Horne & %,
Survant :u * Uut
Watch LawCall
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
on WMAZ
every Sunday
at 11:35 p.m.
478.405.0300 reynoldsinjurylaw.com
6320 Peake Road • Macon, GA
DWELL
A WORSHIP GATHERING FOR WOMEN
OF ALL AGES
join us for an evening of food, fellowship, worship,
and teaching. You are invited to come help us
"shake it up" with worship by Southside Baptist
in Warner Robins and teaching by Jana Abbott.
Doors open at 6:30, Dwell starts at 7 pm.
A light meal is included. No sign up required.
THEME VERSE: ACTS 4:31
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 I 6:30 PM
AT FOX CITY
45 N. KIMBELL ST., FORSYTH
"AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER."
B. MONROE ™
BOUTIQUE
Visit us in store
Mon-Sat ll-6pm
or online 24/7
iue.com
BM0NR0EB0UTIQUE