to the board of county commissioners meeting room. Um today is uh Tuesday, September 9th and it is 50:05 and we are having our public hearing on our millage rate. Um starting with Miss Young, would you like to lead us off?
Yes ma'am. Thank you chair. Uh today is your tenative budget hearing where we will discuss tenatively the millage rate and the countywide budget for fiscal year 2526. Based on um the guidance that we've had through the budget development process,
the county is proposing a countywide mill reduction and rate of 8.7418 which is equal to the roll back rate for the general fund. The fire tax proposal remains at the previous year rate of 1.1
mills. The 2526 budget tenative budget incorporates a balanced budget with inclusion of a reduction of the millillage to the roll back rate for the general fund. A cost of living adjustment for BOCC employees of 4% the
additional 15 FTE positions approved at the August 26th meeting. inclusion of the capital improvement plan and increases to all constitutional officers appropriations. Keeping in mind the adjustment that was made from July to September to achieve that roll back rate
was done with no additional adjustment to the constitutional officers as they expressed concern about any additional cuts. All adjustments were made on your board side. Uh all your funds except for the transportation fund are operationally sound with no use of reserves to fund day-to-day expenses.
The transportation fund is utilizing over $2.3 million transfer from the general fund for reoccurring expenditures. This occurs every year. We don't um this is not a surprise to us. The transportation fund has been running in the red for a number of years. That's because the gas taxes simply do not
cover the operational expenses of that division. Um overall, your reserve balances have increased a bit. Although remember, we are going to see quite a few transfers this year, large transfers. Although the largest of note is also set up to be a loan that would be repaid through the capture of the
impact fees as we're able to expand and cap capitalize on that expanded capacity. Um with that I'll answer any questions that you may have. Please keep in mind that this is your tenative hearing. There will be minor adjustments made from today to your final hearing
which would be on September 23rd. The majority of that adjustment will include your fiscal year 25 final projections for what's going to carry forward that may be in progress today and not going to close out before September 30th of this year. All right, Commissioner Harvey, you're recognized.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to say what I said last meeting. We've worked very hard, the previous board and this board also now to get to this roll back. And staff, I want to commend y'all for all the hard work that you've done. you. We've been wanting to get to this roll
back rate which is a decrease in millillage for many years and we just weren't able to do there. We could take little bites but now we're finally there and I want to thank you for the hard work all y'all did. I know you know budget just doesn't start three months three months before this. It starts
it'll start again tomorrow for the next year, right? So, but I I do want to thank you because this is going to be beneficial to our citizens and to see a roll back rate is is really the the right thing for us to do. So, thank you so much.
Um, Miss Julianne, could you um explain for um just public audience what the roll back rate means? Yes. So the roll back um rate is an aggregate calculation based on generating the same amount of revenue as
last year taking into account some new development. So i.e. it it's intended to say can you live with the same amount of revenue generation from last year from your citizens along with anything that may be new to the table throughout the
year and operate on those same expenditure levels. Um and so traditionally that is a reduction obviously as values grow in the county. Um that millage rate reduction means that we would lose some opportunity of revenues that could have been captured
but um in an effort for us to get as low as we can in our taxing rate on our side of the house. Um we've worked very diligently to get us to that roll back rate and to reduce that countywide millage. Well, it's something I've certainly been wanting to do um since I've been here. I
do have a question on the MSTU. Um, is there a reason why we can't go to that roll back millage rate? The fire MSTU? Yes. The expenses in the fire MSTU um are still growing at a rate that wouldn't support a reduction and the value did
not grow in the MSTU at a rate that would allow us to capture those. So, keeping in mind that we get a different assessed value for each taxing uh authority. When we looked at the fire MSTU, there was a very small growth in additional revenue and with the
additional expenses in the fire service that we incurred just on an operational basis. Again, the fire MSTU is not paying for capital. We're just talking about reoccurring expenses in the fire service. Um there truly isn't an opportunity this year to reduce that
fire MSTU. All right. Well, the fact that we're uh looking at the roll back, it means a lot um hopefully to our citizens as well. Commissioner Alexander, you're recognized. So, I I want to make a statement just to be clear for the public, and correct me
if I'm wrong. We did not raise our mill rate. We rolled it back and we added 15 additional full-time employees to better support our community. That's correct. Okay. I just want to make sure everybody was clear with that. And eight of those are in fire rescue.
That's correct. That's correct. That's fantastic. Thank you, Commissioner Harvey. You recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. And your question was good to staff about fire the fire tax MSB MSTU. You know, we are putting on more firefighter, more public
safety, and we had a conversation at the last meeting about even this the hours that would change there. So, we're going to see probably more crews being put on to for public safety. So, um very glad that we're looking at that and the fire
the fire departments that we have built around this the county. Uh this is a good thing. So, thank you. All right. Are there any other questions for Miss Young from the board? All right. Do we have any comment cards? If there's anybody else who has not filled out a card but would like to
speak, uh please just do so and we'll be glad to hear from you. Um, Mr. Man, uh, 120 Cedar Creek Road. Come on up. You're the next contestant. I'm the next contestant. The only deer
in the headlights again. Um, I'm getting a little bit confused. Um, and I need y'all to help me understand this. If we're having a millage roll back, why with the new budget is my trim statement showing a higher tax rate
for if the budget's approved? That doesn't make sense to me. Go ahead. Can I help you? Yes, please. The trim notice is based or generated off of a July maximum millage assessment projection. And in July, the board
passed a maximum millage equal to the millage rate of the prior year. And then for the county's side of the house, we worked to further reduce that. And so today is day one, our first hearing for what will be our millillage. If it
everything goes forward, the maximum after today would be that reduced rate for countywide services of 8.7418. Keeping in mind that we're only one of your taxing authorities. So your trim notice should give you an aggregate of
all of those different taxing authorities from the water management to the school district. If you're on Cedar Creek Road, you're not going to have a municipality. But we do not have any authority over any of those other taxing authorities. We only control our own authority and our own millage
assessment. So So when you look at yours and you know it says 8.8441 8441 for the BOCC. What we're now proposing is a reduction which is the roll back of 8.7418.
So we're looking at that that number where you see 8.8441 as the U millage number. I'm looking for it. Okay. Um I'm not seeing this home is going to walk. Um well I don't want to take up a whole
lot of time. It's okay. We're here for the public. Yeah, help me out here. Um, sorry guys. I mean, this is your county. And so this is what it was last year. This was what it was proposed in July. And this would be the roll back. So this is actually a
reduction. See, this is what you this this is what it would have been had we approved it at the 8.8. This is what it would be if we approved it at the roll back rate of 8.741. But now keep in mind all of the rest of these are not Well, the fire MSTU is
part of us, but the school local, the school board, the school debt, and the water management are not something that this board has any authority. Right. I understand that now. Um um I guess uh it says if no budget change is made, it's lower than if there is a
budget change. So somewhere in here, I'll have to review the numbers. There's an increase, but it's not with this. It's not with your board. It would not be with your taxing. Okay. Well, then I'm I'm all for rolling Well, we got one happy person in the county.
Very confusing. I I mean, I went to a I went and saw the property appraiser. I didn't I struck out and so now I'm having to uh go to a VAB. But folks like myself and my wife were living on fixed incomes. Every nickel counts and every
year it goes up, you know, and it's like what do we do? So it just seems like to me and it seems like a little bit of this is happening. Some of this burden needs to be passed on to the folks that are coming here coming here and generating the need for revenue. They pave the way. Thanks y'all.
You're right. Thank you sir. Yes sir. And that's that is exactly the sentiment of this board and I'm proud to say that we're discussing the roll back millies rate. Um that's I don't know Commissioner Harvey you've been here the longest. Have we ever had the roll back millage rate?
We have not. We've tried, but we have never gotten to it. Gotten close. One year we had to raise and that was not fun for it was just terrible. It was a terrible year. So, Commissioner Pelister, you're recognized. Um, Miss Young, just for general information for the general public and
be sure I'm on the right track. Even though we've held the mil roll back rate or lowered our rate, if their property recently got reassessed and is assessed at a higher value, even though we did our part, it still goes up. Correct.
Well, it is possible. Yes. So, remember again, we have no control over the value assessed of the property either. That handles out of the property appraisers office. The only thing we can control on our side is the actual tax rate, right? uh which is a a factor, a multiplier as to
where we get the revenue generation from taxes. I think the general public sometimes gets a little tangled up with that. Well, you lowered my rate, but my taxes went up. Well, your property is now worth this much when it was worth before this much. So, they don't, you know, make the connection of the two. And I just want to be sure that that, you
know, is can be out there for them to make aware of it to they're on the a a game like I'm trying to get on with you. Thank you, Commissioner Alexander. I'm very proud to be part of this board that, you know, we all know the economy
is struggling right now and our our citizens need relief and I'm proud to say that we're we're doing our part and being fiscally conservative while still increasing services. I mean, that's something that just doesn't happen in other communities. So, um, just want our
public to know that if they do see an increase on there, it is not attributed directly to us. It is a property value increase or it can be attributed to one of the other taxing entities, not the VOCC's. All right. Thank you. Commissioner New,
you're recognized. Surely and don't feel like you're the only person. I bet we I bet all of us have had more calls on this subject than anything else. And it is it is confusing. It is complicated. So, um you
are not you may be the only one here, but you're not alone. Um I I really wish we could have a oh a community workshop that said, "Hey, this is how it works because nine out of every 10 people that I've spoken to once I finally fumbled
through, you know, my understanding of it and they get it, they get it and they at least have a um they're more comfortable." So anyway, I I'm also proud to be a part of this uh the ability to hit roll back. It is a
big deal. I I did not realize how uncommon that is. So um thank you guys for for working hard and helping us achieve that. Um is there anybody else who would like to speak from the public regarding um
the the Milliey's right? All right, coming back to the board for a vote. Madame Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we the fis my motion is the fiscal year 2025 2026 Putnham County wide operating millage rate of 8.7418
mills which is equal to the roll back rate. We'll do them one at a time. All right, we have a motion on the floor. Is there a second? Second. All in favor? Any further discussion? All in favor say I. I. I need a roll call vote. Okay, roll call vote.
I I I I Yes, Madam Chair, on the next motion would be the fiscal year 2025 Putnham County non-countywide operating millage rate
for the fire tax municipal service taxing unit MSTU of 1.1000 mills which is the same as last year's millage rate. This rate is point 0.01%
higher than the roll back rate of 1.0897 mills. We have a motion on the floor. Is there a second? Second. Right. Um any discussion? Roll call vote. I I
I Yes. Madame chair together the my motion for the aggregate millillage is 9.8137 mills which is 1.1 1.15% higher than the aggregated roll back
rate of 9.7019 mills. Is that a motion? That's a motion. I'll second. We have a motion on the floor and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. I.
Sorry. I'm in the I. I. Yes. Madam chair. My motion is to adopt the fiscal year 202526 budget all funds 288,792,098
dollars. Yep. Dollars. We have a motion on the floor. Second. Second. Second. Any further discussion? This is this a roll call. Roll call vote. I. Yes. Yes.
I. Yes. So, with that being said, um for the first time that anybody can remember, um we've actually hit our roll back millies rate. I hope um that the other municipalities and the other
taxing authorities in our county would also consider doing the same same same thing. So, I'm just going to put it out there and um I I really think that we are, you know, we've got some tough times ahead of us and we don't know what the future holds and it's the prudent
fiscally responsible thing to do and um I hope they will follow our lead and also take the roll back rate. With that, is there any other comments? All right, this meeting is adjourned.
Yay.