The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners hosted its final public hearing regarding the millage rate and approved the rollback rate during its regular meeting Sept. 2, along with other agenda matters.
Assistant County Manager Dawn Hudson conducted a presentation on the millage rate prior to the public comment portion of the hearing.
The millage rate is the tax rate used to calculate local property taxes and must be set at a rate that provides enough revenue to support maintenance and operations and establish a reserve for emergency expenditures and cash flow. When multiplied by the assessed value of taxable property, it calculates the amount of property tax revenue to be paid to the county. In Georgia, property is required to be assessed at 40% the fair market value.
“Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate be calculated that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate produced,” said Hudson. “If the county does not take the rollback, this must be advertised as a tax increase, even if the county does not increase the tax rate.”
Hudson presented the form the county turns in to calculate the rollback rate. It compares the 2024 digest to the 2025 digest. Any changes between the two are created through reassessed value or new growth, she said.
“Last year’s millage rate was 10.02 and the calculated rollback millage rate for 2025 is 9.76 based on the $40 million reassessed value in the 2025 digest data. The proposed millage rate is to keep it at the same rate as last year,” said Hudson. “The millage rate has remained around 9.8 to 10.5 in the last six years.”
Hudson said property taxes make up about 60% of revenue collected in Baldwin County and the county’s Local Option Sales Tax represents 21%. Other sources of revenue are also factors but each represented less than a 10% contribution.
The Georgia Department of Revenue examines each county’s digest to ensure property is assessed uniformly and equally between and within the state’s 159 counties. Each county is required to present its rate as a percentage of change. In her presentation, Hudson explained further about finances and how the increase might affect property owners. The full presentation is available in the Sept. 2 agenda packet on the Baldwin County website.
Moving into the normal meeting, a motion failed to set the millage rate to 10.02 with a 3-2 vote by Commissioners Kendrick Butts, Scott Little, and Emily Davis voting against the motion. It was instead set to the rollback rate of 9.76 in a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Sammy Hall voting no.
Chairman Andrew Strickland then presented a proclamation on National Recovery Month from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Georgia Council for Recovery, and the Georgia General Assembly Working Group on Addiction and Recovery.
Milledgeville’s local support group, the Oconee Recovery Coalition, stood in front of the board as the proclamation was read.
“Behavioral health is a part of one’s overall health and well-being and whereas recovery from addiction occurs every day through a variety of recovery support services and treatment programs. Prevention of substance use disorder works and treatment is effective. People recover across Georgia and around the nation,” said Strickland.
“The 2025 Recovery Bus Tour celebrates Georgia recovery and that no one is alone in recovery. It will have 75 stops, with Milledgeville as one. It will educate on recovery throughout the community. That education is essential to combating stigma and discrimination faced by many and it will help more people experience and sustain long-term recovery.”
National Recovery Month continues throughout September.
Commissioners also authorized an agreement with the Development Authority of Milledgeville and Baldwin County to accept a OneGeorgia Rural Site Development Grant Award, a $2 million grant destined to fund an entry road, site preparations, streets, flood and drainage, and general improvements at Sibley Place. Baldwin County will be the fiscal agent for the grant.
The commissioners also agreed to extend the solar farm moratorium for six months to see what occurs with the planning and zoning process before determining if there is space for solar power projects.
The meeting concluded with commissioners approving Southeast Pipe Survey, Inc. for the Fiscal Year 2024 Community Development Block Grant Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation project. The company will conduct sewer replacements east of Vincent Highway. It will be the last CDBG project east of Vinson Highway, after 13 years, concluding in all sewer lines being replaced.