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[00:00:01]

WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR PUBLIC HEARING THIS EVENING.

[Millage Rate Public Hearings on June 16, 2026.]

WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC HEARING FOR NON-ZONING MATTERS.

I'LL READ THE RULES OF ORDER FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS.

THE MAYOR IS THE PRESIDING OFFICER. ALL REMARKS SHALL BE ADDRESSED TO THE CITY COUNCIL AS A BODY, NOT INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS. ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK SHALL COME TO THE MICROPHONE.

GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS TO THE CITY CLERK. LIMIT REMARKS TO THREE MINUTES UNLESS FURTHER TIME IS GRANTED BY COUNCIL.

NOT SPEAK A SECOND TIME UNTIL EVERYONE WISHING TO SPEAK HAS SPOKEN ONCE.

NO ONE CAN SPEAK MORE THAN TWICE. PLEASE DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS YOU HAVE THE MICROPHONE AND HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR THE FINAL HEARING OF THE 2026 MILLAGE RATE.

MAYOR, IT FELT WEIRD TO DO THIS FROM THE DAIS, SO I HAD TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM FOR THE THIRD AND FINAL.

SO AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS IS THE LAST OF OUR THREE MILLAGE RATE PUBLIC HEARINGS.

UNDER GEORGIA LAW, WE HAVE TO ADOPT OUR MILLAGE RATE BY JULY 1ST.

AND IF YOU ARE NOT ADOPTING THE ROLLBACK RATE, YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS. AND SO JUST AS AN OVERVIEW, WE ARE PROPOSING A RATE OF 7.25 MILLS, WHICH IS THE FIRST MILLAGE RATE ADJUSTMENT IN OVER SEVEN YEARS.

PREVIOUS TO THAT, THE CITY HAD LOWERED THE MILLAGE RATE FROM 6.4 MILLS TO 6.25 MILLS AND THEN INCREASED THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FROM $30,000 TO $50,000.

AND WE ALSO HAVE THAT 100% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FOR SENIORS.

STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE ADVERTISE OUR MILLAGE RATE BY THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE OVER THE ROLLBACK RATE.

AND SO THAT PERCENTAGE IS 23.47%. BUT THAT IS OVER THE ROLLBACK RATE, NOT THE RATE THAT YOU'VE HELD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

THE ROLLBACK RATE WOULD HAVE BEEN 5.872 MILLS.

AND THE ROLLBACK RATE IS THE THEORETICAL RATE IN WHICH YOU WOULD GENERATE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TAXES AS THE PREVIOUS YEAR BASED OFF OF THE CHANGE IN ASSESSMENTS. AS WE KNOW, AND AS WE'VE SEEN FROM, FROM OUR COLLECTION STANDPOINT, WE DON'T ACTUALLY GET THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY BASED OFF OF THAT RATE. SO THERE IS ABOUT A 15% LAG IN COLLECTIONS FOR VARIOUS REASONS FROM THE COUNTY.

SO THAT 5.872 WE DON'T REALLY KNOW IF IT WOULD ACTUALLY GENERATE EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT WE WOULD PREVIOUSLY COLLECT.

AGAIN, WE ARE INCREASING OUR MILLAGE RATE TO 7.25, WHICH IS A PROPOSED CHANGE IN ONE MILL OVER THE CURRENT MILLAGE RATE.

WE ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE WE ADOPTED A FLAT BUDGET IN 2025, AT THE END OF 2025 FOR THE 2026 FISCAL YEAR.

WE MAINTAIN THAT BUDGET AT $35.9 MILLION. BUT WE ARE SEEING INCREASED COSTS TO EVERYTHING JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

AND WE HAVE, LIKE I MENTIONED, CONTINUED TO SEE SOME CHALLENGES WITH COLLECTIONS DUE TO APPEALS.

AND GENERAL TAX PAYMENT SIDE OF THINGS. AND WE HAVE LEGISLATION COMING DOWN THE, DOWN THE LINE IN THE FUTURE.

AND SO WE ARE PROPOSING THIS CHANGE IN RATE SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN OUR LEVEL OF OPERATIONS.

HOW THE FORMULA WORKS. SO THE AVERAGE FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN CHAMBLEE IS $525,000.

THE WAY THAT WE HAVE TO ADVERTISE IT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY A $275.60 INCREASE FOR A HOME WITH A FAIR MARKET VALUE OF 525 THAT WOULD BE THE ANNUAL INCREASE IN TAXES BASED OFF OF THAT NEW RATE.

IF YOU ACCOUNT FOR THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, WHICH IS $50,000 OF A BASE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, THE TRUE IMPACT IS $213.94, WHICH IS ROUGHLY $18 PER MONTH FOR THE AVERAGE TAXPAYER.

THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL TAXES WHICH MAKE UP THE VAST MAJORITY OF SOMEBODY'S TAX BILL.

AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU MA'AM. IS THERE ANYONE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE WISHING TO SPEAK TO COUNCIL THIS EVENING IN REGARDS TO THE MILLAGE RATE? ANYBODY? ALL RIGHT. SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE ON.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.