Divided Roswell Council Votes To Keep Millage Rate Steady

ROSWELL, GA -- A divided Roswell City Council voted last week to keep its millage rate at the same level for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

The council at the June 26 meeting voted 4-3, with Council members Lori Henry, Michael Palermo and Marcelo Zapata opposing and Mayor Jere Wood casting the tie-breaking vote in the affirmative, to approve the second reading of an ordinance keeping the rate at 5.455 mills for 2018.

The city's rate includes 5.205 mills for maintenance and operations and 0.250 mills for debt service. The millage rate is the tax rate applied to property, and each mill represents $1 of tax assessment per $1,000 of assessed property value. The city notes its millage rate is among the lowest in metro Atlanta and has remained unchanged since fiscal year 2009.

Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said keeping the rate will mean "no tax increase for residential property except for new construction."

"If the millage rate was reduced, this would have required eliminating existing services," he told Patch.

However, Palermo said just a decrease in debt service in Roswell shouldn't automatically equate to an increase in spending related to operations.

He added he felt some spending in the current budget "was unnecessary."

"Instead of increased spending I would have preferred to have seen that money go back to taxpayers through a lower millage rate or that money could have been used to pay off additional debt," he added.

At least two of those expenses Palermo objected to were operational support to Roswell, Inc, the city's economic development arm, in the amount of $183,000 and Roswell Arts Fund for $25,000. The Council at the May 22 meeting approved the first reading of the fiscal year 2018 budget, which struck those items from consideration. Those voting in favor of the first reading were Henry, Donald Horton, Palermo and Zapata. Opposing the first reading and deletions was Nancy Diamond; Councilman Jerry Orlans absent.

However, those items and others, including money to aid in the purchase of Mimosa Hall and $25,000 for the Roswell Arts Fund to conduct a performing arts center feasibility study, were added back in and the second reading of the budget was approved with, of course, a 4-3 vote.

Palermo, Zapata and Henry voted against the second reading of the budget, while Diamond, Orlans and Horton approved the measure with the help of Wood, who cast the tie-breaking vote.

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