Council - Special Meeting

honor we have to serve our citizens as mayor and counsel. We pray for this special call meeting and the business has transpired. I pray we pray for direction and guidance and the decisions that are made and the information that's presented. Pray for those in our community that need healing that you bless them with that. Those that are greed, we pray for their comfort. We pray for your protection upon those who serve our community. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated.

Next on the agenda is opportunity for public comments. Anyone present? All right. Next is the approval of the agenda as presented. Make that motion. Sir, all in favor? Let it be known by saying I. I. I.

Any oppose the same sign? Motion carries. 50. Any announcements? I have none. You have any loose? All right. Next, new business. Item one, hold the third public hearing on the intent to maintain the city of Temple, Carol County mill rate of 4.160 mills and the intent to increase the city of Temple, Harelson County millage rate to 3.241 mills. And we call upon Scott to come and present the information. [Applause] It will be on. Make sure it works. Yes, we did.

working on it.

It's plugged in. It should be. Sheila Sheila had that set up last time. I don't know how I just plugged it in last time and it worked.

Okay, let's see if he may have it. Just go ahead. Okay. Well, I think everybody um we we have the handout so we can refer to those. Uh but welcome to City of Temple's public hearing for the 2025 military. Um so Georgia law requires that when a proposed millage rate exceeds the roll back rate, uh there are three public hearings that are required and there is a notice of property tax increase that is advertised in the paper one week prior to the hearing and a press release issued to explain the tax increase. Um, the first two meetings were held last Monday, August 18th at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Uh, this is the third public hearing, August 25th at 6:00. Um, so just a overview of the millage rates. Um uh what it is is when the uh is is a property tax rate that the city sets every year to fund the services and community needs. Um it funds police operations, park and recreation projects, uh senior services, community and development, roadways administration, including personnel and employee benefits and other essential services. Um, how it's calculated is based on the city's budget need and the total taxable property t or total taxable property value or net digest. Uh, how it's measured. One meal is equal

to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's taxable value. And it is affected by sales tax revenues which can lower it. also known as a sales tax roll back. And uh it's also affected by rising costs which would affect budget need or changes in the property values which can raise it. See? Um, so to calculate what uh the millage rate is, you basically take your budgeted property tax need and add in the sales tax revenue calculated in the previous calendar year. Um you take that you divide it by the uh um total gross digest both Harelson and Carol counties that gives you your gross millage rate. Um from there you can uh calculate the lost or sales tax roll back. So, you basically take each county's sales tax collections from the previous calendar year, divide it by that county's um gross digest. Uh and then you subtract that from the gross millage rate for each county. Um so sometimes there's some confusion about the roll back rate. U so there's two roll back rates basically. You got your sales tax roll back and then you got the roll back rate that's given to you by the county. Uh so the the each county gives you a form called the PT32.1

and that u gives you basically the roll back millage rate that you can uh if you roll back to that rate or below you don't have to show a percentage tax increase and advertise it. Um and and the calculation is basically based on reassessment of existing real property versus additions that u have accumulated from the 2024 digest to the 2025 digest. Um so we've got that for both Carol and Harelson counties. Um we are we're um for 2025 our uh we're looking to keep the millage rate the exact same for Carol County which is 4.16 no change from 2024. Uh from Harelson County we are looking to increase from 1.04 047 to 3.4 or 3.241. So again, um keeping the millage rate the same um is uh for Harelson County uh that's a 3.07% increase from the roll back rate calculated by the county, which is 4.036. Um on the Harelson County side, uh the increase is from 1.047 mills to 3.241 mills. That's a 328.7% increase from the previous year. Um so on the Carol County side, uh there's not a noticeable change for uh homesteaded

properties. for on Harelson County side, it is a noticeable increase, but it still results in a lower rate than when compared to most other Georgia cities. Um if you look at the calculations uh and and the impact on your property taxes um for a basically from 24 to 25 in Carol County uh on a military 4.1.6 on a $275,000 home. your um property tax bill would be $4576 and that's a $0 increase from the prior year. Now your property tax bill could go up if your assessed value went up which is uh given and um you know assessed by the county and given to us uh on the Harelson County side um uh based on the 3.241 241 proposed millage rate. Uh a tax bill will be $356.51. That's a $241 increase from the prior year. Here's some information uh on House Bill 581. Uh the bill provides relief and clarity to taxpayers by offering the following. a statewide floating homestead exemption, an optional sales tax to further offset property taxes, and a property tax process or and property tax process reforms, excuse me. Um, the next page is the notice of

property tax increase that was put in the Times Georgian on August 9th and August 16th and the Gateway Beacon on August 14th. That's for both Temple um for Carroll County and Harelson County. And then the next page was the press release um that was distributed to the Times Georgian Gateway Beacon Star News Gratit Communications Carol County Chamber of Commerce and posted on the city of Temple website and in the city administrative building. Um and then there is a slide that gives us the advalorum and uh millage rates at 40%. And this goes from 25 projected for Temple um Harelson and Carol counties um and all the other local municipalities all the way back to uh 2002. Um, I wanted to just point out on the um, uh, on the Harelson County side, even though we are proposing an increase uh, to 3.241 from 1.047, it's uh, well below the historical rates that the city has imposed. um you know it was in 2022 it was 5.17. So we're still looking at a lower rate just an increase from the quite significant decrease from 2023 to 2024.

Um and then on the uh Carol County side, the 4.16 proposed millage rate is um below or in line with all other Carroll County um municipalities. So even though we're advertising a tax increase on the Carol County side, once again, if there was no increase in your assessment, you would not see an increase on your tax bill. Um Lisa, did you have anything that you wanted to add or um at this time that will conclude the uh presentation portion of the 2025 military public hearing and at this time we can open up the floor to public comments. [Music] We will close the public hearing and move to item two. Uh adopt a resolution approving the 2025 millig rates for and we do there two parts to this action. Uh a for the city of Temple in Carroll County. What's your pleasure? I make a motion motion we adopt the resolution approving the 2025 mill rates for the city of Temple and Carol County and the city of Temple in Harelson County.

But just Carol County first. Okay. Just Carol County first. Uhuh. All right. And you second. Yeah. Okay. Uh which one is this? the temple for 4.160. Yep. All right. Any discussion? All in favor of approving the resolution. I'm saying I I. Any oppose the same sign? Motion carries 50. And then for part B, the city of Temple Miller rate in Harelson County property.

Yes. I make that same motion for 3.2. two 41 mills. All right, we'll have a motion. Second. Any discussion? All in favor, let it be over saying I. I. I. Any oppose the same sign? Motion carries. 50. Item three, adopt a resolution to authorize the city of Temple to enter into an ingovernmental agreement with Carroll County, Georgia for the Splast referendum. Make that motion. Second.

Any discussion? All in favor? 5. Item four, authorize Mayor Johnson to sign the Splast Intergovernmental Agreement with Carroll County, Georgia. Make that motion. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Let's say I. I.

Any oppose? The same sign. Motion carries. Item five, authorize the mayor to sign the easement documents from Atlanta Gas Light accepting $3,673 for easement rights along 240 Carlton Street to improve their natural gas pipeline systems. And of course, this is pending legal approval. I make that motion. Does that include the uh the additions that Josh brought up this evening? They have to do that. Okay, then I'll second it. All right. Motion by Miss BS, seconded by Mr. Russell. Any discussion? All in favor, let it be known by saying I.

I. Any oppose the same sign? Motion carries. 50. That completes our agenda. Any closing comments? Miss Miller? No. Thank you. M. Miss BS. Mr. Brightel. No, sir. Mr. Walden. Hope everybody has a good holiday next weekend. Yes, sir. Mr. Russell. No comments. All right then. No executive session is necessary. Then a motion to adjurnn. Please make a motion to adjourn. Second. All in favor saying I. I.

Any oppose? Same sign. Motion carries 50. We are adjourned. Awesome. D. And that's