DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – City Council voted unanimously Monday to set a millage rate of 8.511 mils for the 2020 tax year and then approve a rollback millage rate of zero which means, once again, city residents will not pay a city tax.

Finance Director Hayden Wiggins calculated that the city’s action would save a homeowner whose house is valued at $250,000 about $851.

Council also unanimously approved a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) budget amendment from $1,812,912 to $2, 269,269,569 to coverage an overage in the cost of the Main Street Park/Farmers Market.

After a lengthy discussion on the status of the 53^rd Annual Mountain Moonshine Festival with Rhonda Goodwin, president of Kare for Kids, Mayor Mike Eason said in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Council required more specific information before the city could approve the event. The festival is traditionally held the third week in October.

City Attorney Dana Miles suggested the council not make a decision until September.

“I anticipate if the governor follows the timeline he has in the past you may not have a new EO (executive order) until August 31. It might be prudent to set your meeting Sept. 1. By then we will, for certain, have a published executive order.”

Council voted to postpone any decision until a called meeting Sept. 2 at 4 p.m.

Council members voted 4-0 to utilize the services of Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) to conduct an operational efficiency study rather than participate in a similar study with Dawson County Government and the Etowah Water and Sewer Authority.

Mayor Eason said the cost of the GMA study will not exceed $4,000 while the cost of the other in unknown.

 

ABOUT FETCH YOUR NEWS

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com