Pickens Board of Commissioners Propose Millage Rate

Hope springs eternal….at least it appears so judging by the Pickens County Board of Commissioners meeting this morning. The county will proceed into the next tax year using a “rollback” rate which essentially means no tax hike. A couple of years ago property values dropped dramatically, but according to Jones,

The property value is starting to rise again.

Jones said the property values are down one percent, but that’s a slight drop compared to previous years. Last year the tax digest suggested the rate of 6.65 percent. This year the millage will be set to 6.687 percent. Finance Director Fay Harvey explained how this doesn’t amount to an increase in that if your property value stayed the same or rose, there will be a slight increase in property taxes, emphasizing the word “slight”. If your property value decreased then your taxes should remain the same, or decrease. The end result is a balancing out of the budget.

Although the rolls show $82,000 less than last year, that’s less than a one percent difference in the overall picture. The 2012 audit was originally due June 30 but an extension was granted and while the auditors have until December 31 to complete their report, Harvey stated they are working diligently and should have it completed earlier.

On June 28, FetchYourNews reported the public works budget was initially overspending at that point having used $1.2 million. The budget has since been amended but as of July 31, they had curbed the spending. That number came in at $1.4 million (56.6 percent).

All in all, Pickens County appears to be in good shape, Harvey said,

Everyone’s staying within their budgets.

By state law, since the rollback rate will be in effect, the county only has to advertise the rate. No public hearings are required. Therefore, the millage rate will be adopted at a meeting September 6 at 10 a.m. at the Pickens County Government building.

MillageProposalBOCAug192013.pdf

MillageProposalBOCpg2.pdf