The Jones County Board of Commissioners and Jones County Board of Education rolled back tax rates for property owners in almost simultaneous meetings last week.
Commissioners lowered the tax rate for the unincorporated area of the county by 1.737 mills and for those living in Gray by 1.842 mills. The Board of Education lowered the school tax by 1.955 mills.
Both actions were taken to adjust for increases to the county’s 2025 tax digest due to revaluation of properties and followed information received from the tax commissioner’s office. Computation of the millage rate is done using a calculation that removes the value of the reassessment of properties and focuses on new growth. The intent of the calculation is to avoid a tax increase.
Even with the rollbacks, the value of the county’s digest increased by 6.7 percent and the Board of Education by 6.58 percent.
The commissioners held a public hearing at 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 that was followed by a called meeting to adopt the millage rate. The only questions about the increase in taxes were asked by Mark Ross, a resident of Clinton, during the public hearing.
Chairman Chris Weidner called the 6 p.m. meeting to order. The other board members in attendance were Commissioners Sam Kitchens and John Wood.
Ross began his remarks by asking Commissioners not to raise taxes. The speaker said he went to the Planning and Zoning office for information about the new growth. He stated that the number of new residential and commercial properties did not support the additional $869,803 shown on the county’s five-year history as new growth.
Ross said the additions to the values on the county and board of education property tax digests will cost taxpayers over $1 million.
Kitchens responded that the rollbacks keep the county from increasing taxes.
“This year we have already told our department heads there will be no budget increases. We have a half-a-million-dollar increase in employee health insurance that we have to absorb,” he said. “We don’t want to charge county employees more.”
Kitchens said his property taxes went up like everyone else, but the higher taxes are not because the tax rate was increased.
“We did not raise taxes, but it’s hard to roll back taxes to less than what we need,” he said.
The commissioner said when the results of the countywide revaluation currently underway will be received in June, the hope is the property values in the county will be equitable.
“We hope to finally have a real number,” he said.
Wood said he hopes for a rollback next year, but the board needs to hold the budget at the same amount.
“If we reduced it, we would be looking at cutting services. The new growth is our saving grace,” he said.
Kitchens thanked Ross for his questions.
“I appreciate that you did your homework, but the increase in revenue is not because of an increase in taxes,” he said.
The public hearing was adjourned, and after a short break, Weidner brought the called meeting to order at 6:10 p.m.
County Administrator Jason Rizner read the resolution for the adoption of Jones County’s FY2026 budget. The resolution includes that the budget amounts are the same as the FY2025 budget except for 2 percent cost-of-living and merit increases for employees and the increase in health insurance rates.
The General Fund contingency line will include funds sufficient to complete all previously approved but unfinished capital projects.
Wood made the motion to approve the budget, and the vote was unanimous.
Rizner read the resolution for adoption of the FY2025 millage rate. The resolution includes the rate for the unincorporated area, 12.983; incorporated area, 14.219; and special tax district in River North, 0.814 mills.
Kitchens made the motion, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
The Aug. 28 public hearing and adoption of the millage rate can be viewed on the website, jonescountyga. org.
Board of Education
The Board of Education’s Aug. 28 meeting was called to order by Chairman Ginger Bailey at 6 p.m. All members of the board attended the meeting.
Adoption of the millage rate was the only action item on the meeting’s agenda.
Following a discussion, board member Kim Washburn made the motion to adopt the tax rate for 2025 at the rollback rate of 14.366. The vote to approve the motion was unanimous.
The BOE approved its budget at a July 31 called meeting.
The next meeting of the Board of Education is a work session Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. and monthly board meeting Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. Both meetings to be held in the Professional Learning Building.
