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Friday, Jul. 31, 2009

Tax bills in Peach County will be tardy

FORT VALLEY — A bad case of absenteeism plagued the Peach County Board of Education on Thursday as three members were not in attendance for a public hearing and a special called meeting to approve the millage rate for fiscal year 2010.

As a result, the County Commission was not able to approve its millage rate Thursday and county residents will get their tax bill about a month late.

Board members Virginia Dixon, Jamie Johnson and Kay Whitley were out of town Thursday and could not make either a third public hearing on a proposed millage rate increase or a special called meeting to approve the millage rate.

Dixon was en route from Rhode Island, Johnson called in a half-hour before the meeting and said he was in Atlanta and Whitley was on vacation, said Denise Carmichael, executive assistant to Superintendent Susan Clark. “They’ve known about the public hearing schedule since June 3,” a flustered Carmichael said. “People knew it was going on. This makes us look bad.”

The public hearing took place with Johnson hooked up via speakerphone, but the millage rate meeting could not take place because a board member has to be physically present to cast a vote.

Board Chairman Jody Usry said board attorney Buddy Welch told him they had to advertise for another meeting to take up the millage rate, and it would be at least two weeks before the meeting could take place.

County Tax Commissioner W.L. Brown said he was contacting Vicki Lambert, Georgia Department of Revenue director, and applying for an extension. The county tax digest and millage rates were supposed to be submitted to the department by Aug. 1. The county could face a fine between $2,000 to $3,000 for being late, he said.

Brown said he looks to have the tax bills mailed out about the beginning of September, one month late, but the due date of Dec. 20 remains the same.

“The lack of quorum has its repercussions: no millage rate set, no tax digest sent to the state, no tax bills mailed out,” Brown said.

Clark said the school system was following the same timeline for setting its millage rate as other school systems. For instance, Houston County schools approved its millage rate Wednesday at noon and that afternoon the Houston County Commission approved its millage rate.

“We’re all trying to do the best we can, and it’s not for a lack of trying,” Clark said.

For their part, commissioners approved their budget Thursday.

“We rolled back the millage rate from 14.375 mills to 13.555 mills to neutralize the property reassessment,” said Chairman Mark Moseley. “We’re proud to be able to do that in these tough times.”

Clark said the school system was seeking a 1.538 millage rate increase, from 15.462 mills to 17 mills.

The three public hearings have taken place, and there are no plans for another.