“The good news is, we will not increase our millage rate,” said Commissioner Jamie Doss, who chairs the board’s finance committee.
“The challenge is, the city has been doing so much with less for so long. You can not go indefinitely without investing in yourself,” he added.
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The rate has been unchanged since 2010, although the tax digest has dipped. A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 in assessed property value.
Rome City Schools is adding two furlough days, for a total of 10, to deal with spiking health care costs and ongoing cuts by Ga. lawmakers.
“They’re squeezing public schools to death,” Commissioner Bill Collins said about the General Assembly.
City Manager John Bennett said the city is operating with the same amount of revenue it had in 2006 but costs for staples such as power and fuel continue to rise.
“The storms even made our insurance go up,” he noted. “And you can’t go forever without giving raises.”
With a tax rate of 26.15 mills, the owner of a $100,000 home is paying $1,046 a year — $87.16 a month — for combined school and government services. The government’s share is $29 a month.
In other actions Tuesday, Matt Hill of outside auditors Mauldin & Jenkins said the city will be receiving a clean opinion for its 2011 financial statements, with no findings or recommendations for actions.
Mayor Evie McNiece also announced the board would be changing its meeting dates to the second and fourth Mondays of the month, beginning in July.
“The next one will be July 9,” she said.
The change from the first and third Mondays will allow a more timely review of Rome-Floyd County Planning Commission zoning recommendations. The citizen board meets the first Thursday of each month.
Rome’s Alcohol Control Commission also will make a shift in July, to the third Monday from the fourth Monday of each month.
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