County Millage Rate Hearing is Thursday

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – The Dawson County Board of Commissioners will hold the first of three public hearings on the proposed FY 2018 budget and the millage rate Thursday at 4 p.m.

The board intends to leave the current millage rate of 8.138 unchanged, which would increase the 2017 property taxes it will levy this year by 4.45% over the rollback millage rate.

The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $250,000 is approximately $34.70 and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $200,000 is approximately $27.76.

Additional public hearings are scheduled for Aug. 17 at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Citizens are invited to attend and comment.

Other items on Thursday’s agenda include a request by Director of Emergency Services Lanier Swafford for commissioners to consider accepting a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the amount of $960,305. The county would be required to provide a match of $596,947.

The grant would help cover the cost of salary and benefits for personnel for three years. The other cost the county would incur would be for uniforms and gear (approximately $2,500.00 per employee per year).

The grant is for three years. At the end of the three years, the grant offers three options – employing agency assumes responsibility of the cost; apply for a hardship extension to the grant if local funding is limited; termination without penalty.

Director of Public Services David McKee will provide an update on the closure of Blacks Mill. The Georgia Department of Transportation declared the bridge unsafe for vehicular traffic and ordered it closed on July 18. McKee will ask the board to consider allowing his staff to continue working with GDOT on one of its bridge maintenance assistant programs.

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