Gwinnett County Schools sets millage hearings for July

The Gwinnett County Board of Education will conduct three hearings in July to discuss the proposed tax increase. CONTRIBUTED

The Gwinnett County Board of Education will conduct three hearings in July to discuss the proposed tax increase. CONTRIBUTED

Gwinnett County Public Schools' Board of Education has tentatively adopted a millage rate that increases property taxes. The board plans three public hearings before officially setting the rate.

More property-tax revenue is projected for the fifth consecutive year, after annual declines for fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Property values are projected to increase by 4 percent, generating an additional $22 million in tax revenue in fiscal 2019.

The adopted budget for fiscal year 2019 is approximately $2.193 billion overall, an increase of 2.6 percent from the 2018 budget. The 2019 budget for general school operations is $1.706 billion, an increase of 5.2 percent.

By state law, local taxing authorities such as the school board must either keep their tax collections revenue-neutral by decreasing the millage rate to offset gains from the property value updates, or announce a tax increase.

In May the school board approved the tentative millage rate of 21.75, lower than last year’s 21.85 due to a 0.10 decrease in the debt service millage. The slightly lower millage will still generate more revenue for fiscal year 2019 and so requires the school district to announce a proposed property tax increase. However, taxpayers whose property values have not increased due to reassessment will see a slight reduction in their school tax bill.

The first public hearing will be at 7 p.m. July 9, and the second and third hearings will be July 16 at 11:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the board room at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Road NW in Suwanee.