Board Approves 2021 Millage Rates

By REBECCA HAZEN
News Editor

The Dade County Board of Commissioners approved the 2021 millage rate for unincorporated and incorporated areas of Dade County during a special called meeting on Monday, Aug. 16.

The unincorporated rate is 8.0000 and the incorporated rate is 10.7330.

In addition, the commissioners approved the collection of tax revenue generated from the school district’s 2021 millage rate, as set by the Board of Education.

Dade County Schools Superintendent Josh Ingle appeared before the commissioners, and informed them that the millage rate was 14.388.

“The taxes levied are $6,126,807. Total collections for the Board of Education are at $5,973,636.83. These figures were based on the final 2021 maintenance and operation digest,” Ingle said.

A millage rate is the tax rate used to calculate local property taxes. The millage rate represents the amount per every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. Assigned millage rates are multiplied by the total taxable value of the property in order to arrive at property taxes. One mill equals 1/10 of one percent.

The state of Georgia requires all local governments, e.g. County, City and School Boards, including other taxing authorities such as the Industrial Development Authority, to adopt a millage rate to pay for budgeted expenses – road maintenance, teacher salaries, ambulance services, maintaining fire trucks, and other emergency services, i.e. Emergency 911, Sheriff’s Office, Courts System, etc.

Each of the governing authorities considers the amount of money they need to raise to fund the budget through property tax revenue, considers the property tax value (or the overall digest value) in the county and determines the rate at which they must tax that real property value or the millage rate. Every governing authority decides its own millage rate, which can be seen on your tax bill.