Centerville Council says millage rate won’t change

CENTERVILLE -- The Centerville City Council has indicated the city’s millage rate won’t change next month when it sets the rate.

Without adopting a rate Tuesday at a work session, council members did voice agreement they wanted to keep millage at the same rate it has been for at least the last two years.

At its Aug. 4 meeting, the Council was presented the option off keeping the rate at 11.972 mills or raising it to 12.021.

According to city accountant Carol Harrison, the difference between the two rates in dollars and cents is $9,205.

Harrison said the city could meet its budget either way.

The Council discussed the matter Tuesday because if it planned to raise the rate, then the city would need to advertise the new rate and set public hearings concerning it. If it keeps the rate the same, the Council still has to advertise it but will not have to have public hearings.

Harrison said she needed to know council’s intention in order to act accordingly and meet legal requirements.

Also Tuesday, the Council voted unanimously to re-zone property at 511 Collins Ave. from commercial C-1 to multi-family residential R-3.

Mike Brumfield, Centerville’s director of operations, said the rezoning came at the property owner’s request. However, he said the owners plan to keep it a single family dwelling as it is.

Despite the property owner’s intentions, Brumfield said the city was required to return the property to R-3, not R-1 single family zoning because R-3 was the property’s original zoning.

In other matters Tuesday, the Council:

-Amended the job description for its new probation officer post primarily to have the officer report to the municipal court clerk rather than the police department and to freeze any pay increase for one year until the probation officer becomes certified;

-Recognized Family Promise’s work helping homeless families in Houston County and its upcoming Sept. 25 Car City educational-fundraising event where supporters experience homelessness for one night by sleeping in their cars at Central Georgia Technical College’s parking lot. Family Promise is currently seeking volunteers and people who will help raise support during the Car City experience.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Centerville Council says millage rate won’t change ."