Growth will not increase city's millage

Grovetown might be growing in leaps and bounds, but city officials say their tax rate won't be increasing.

City officials said that since last year's tax digest was created, the city has grown by more than $9 million in new properties.

But the 2004 millage, 4.64, will hold through 2005.

"The city of Grovetown is not raising the millage rate whatsoever," said Mayor Dennis Trudeau at a public millage hearing that was held Monday.

Two public hearings to inform residents of the 2005 rate and for city officials to address any questions or concerns will be held at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday at City Hall, on the corner of Old Wrightsboro Road and Robinson Avenue.

City Clerk Shirley Beasley said the tax digest rose from roughly $86 million to $100 million, mostly based on new properties. Some of the increase, however, was because of reassessments of existing properties.

"We've grown from $60 million to $100 million in five years," Beasley said. "So, we've grown quite a bit in the last five years. We try just to maintain the millage rate without going up too much on it."

Although the millage is not increasing, Trudeau said, some homeowners' taxes still might increase because of the reassessments. City Councilman David Daughtry said most property reassessments increase the value based on an addition to the home such as a new room, porch or storage building. That will be the only reason city residents' taxes will rise, officials said.

"If you had your property reassessed this year and the value went up on it, then your taxes will be a little higher this year than they were last year," Trudeau said. "But if you had a reassessment and there was no increase in the value of your property, you should be paying the same amount of property taxes as you did last year."