With property taxes going up in so many counties across Georgia, Fannin residents have reason to breathe a sigh of relief. In one night, over the span of about two hours, the Fannin County Board of Education locked down its budget for the 2012 fiscal year and so did the county Board of Commissioners. Neither government bodies are asking for a property tax increase to balance their budgets, so the county’s millage rate won’t be going up. The move bears both triumph and challenges for the year ahead.

A triumph, for example, is that teachers will not have furlough days, meaning students will have a full calendar year of instruction. The budget itself falls under the ‘challenges’ category: it documents $27 million in revenues and $29 million in expenditures, leaving a $2 million shortfall. However, Finance Director Susan Jackson explained, the shortfall will be covered by money from the district’s Fund Balance, a type of buffer fund.

“We’ve saved that Fund Balance for a rainy day and that rainy day is here,” Superintendent Mark Henson told the board. “Mr. Chairman, what we’re trying to do with this budget is that we’re trying to balance (the budget) for the future.”Fannin County Attorney Lynn Doss then hand delivered the Board of Education’s budget to the county courthouse where the Board of Commissioners were meeting. Since the measure did not call for a tax increase, commissioners were able to approve it with little discussion. Commissioners also took up the county’s millage rate. And as neighboring counties contemplate increasing property taxes, the millage rate will remain the same in Fannin County . Commissioners voted to maintain the same rate as 2010, a certain triumph for property owners.

“This is the same millage rate we’ve seen for the last four years,” Commission Chair Bill Simonds said, before asking the Board to approve the measure. The board then unanimously approved the chairman’s recommendation.”

On paper, here’s how the millage rate breaks down
Fannin County millage: 5.160
State of Georgia millage: 0.250
Board of Education millage: 12.900
TOTAL MILLAGE RATE: 18.310

The Board also approved a 2 percent increase to the county’s lodging tax. Several citizens spoke out in favor of the tax and against it during the commission’s work session. In the end, commissioners voted in favor of raising the county’s lodging tax from 3 percent to 5 percent beginning January 1, 2012. Lodging Tax Representative Debbie Jackson says, conservatively, the increase could generate about $200,000 a year. The money is expected to be earmarked to promote tourism, but Jackson acknowledges state law allows for at least 3 percent of the tax to go into the general fund and be used for projects that indirectly benefit tourism. Therefore, even though the increase has been approved, expect to see continued public discussion on the use of its revenue.