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City of Savannah to consider reduction in millage rate to lowest level since 1987

SAVANNAH (June 30) – The City of Savannah will soon consider its lowest millage rate since 1987, which will reduce property taxes for most of the 19,096 Stephens-Day exemption qualified households. While the proposed rate of 12.2 mills does exceed the rollback rate, it reduces the current mill rate by more than half a mill, saving taxpayers a collective $3.2 million and providing taxpayers with needed relief. The amount above the rollback is necessary for initiatives to attract and retain a highly qualified public safety workforce and to ensure financial stability to effectively serve residents and businesses in uncertain economic times.

As required in state law, this news release serves as a notice that the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah are considering adopting a millage rate which will require an increase in property taxes by 7.03 percent over the rollback millage rate for properties that increased in valuation and have not obtained a Stephens-Day exemption. The 7.03 percent increase over the rollback millage rate will reduce the current tax rate of 12.739 mills to 12.2 mills. 

When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred. The proposed millage rate of 12.2 mills is an increase of .801 mills over the rollback millage rate of 11.399 mills. The proposed tax increase for a home that does not have Stephens-Day exemption with a fair market value of $100,000 is approximately $32.04 and the proposed tax increase for a non-Stephens-Day exemption property with a fair market value of $500,000 is approximately $160.20.

Georgia law requires the city to advertise the rate of 12.2 as a tax “increase” because the rollback rate might not be adopted. While the anticipated revenues derived from this rate are higher than the rollback rate, the proposed rate itself is being reduced from 2021, as seen in the attached chart. The proposed millage rate of 12.2 mills represents the lowest tax rate since 1987.

Should the city council choose to adopt the 12.2 rate, Georgia law requires three public hearings to be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase over the rollback rate.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on the property tax rate at City Hall, located at 2 E. Bay St., on July 14 at 2 p.m. or July 28 at 10 a.m. or 6:30 p.m.

The public may offer comment in one of two ways:

1. Anyone with interest in speaking on this agenda item may submit evidence, including written comments, to ClerkofCouncil@savannahga.gov or by calling (912) 651-6441. Written comments become public record and are shared with the Mayor and Aldermen prior to the council meeting.
2. Members of the public may come to City Hall council chambers to share their thoughts with City Council.

City of Savannah Millage Rates