MillageRate.com

by Bob Griggs

I recently penned a guest commentary on the millage rate for publication in Georgia newspapers. The article was rejected by the Publisher of The Columbia County News-Times. According to the response, the News-Times “does not publish letters that originate from outside our local area unless those letters are in regard to a specific local issue…”

I thanked the Publisher for his consideration; it is certainly within his responsibilities to decline to publish. However, I disagree with his conclusion that the article had no local relevance. To confirm this, I took a look at Columbia County’s millage rates. Here is my response to the Publisher:

Thank you for your consideration.

This issue does have local application, however. For example, I can conclude simply by reviewing local millage rates for the past four years that the Columbia County Commission has consistently adopted mathematically incorrect rates. The same is true for Harlem, Grovetown and the School Board. In fact, it appears that no taxing authority in Columbia County sets the millage rate correctly.

The result is that property owners within your coverage area are either being OVERtaxed or UNDERtaxed. Because the rates are mathematically incorrect, it MUST be one or the other.

I consider it a significant local story that Columbia’s elected officials are probably taking more from the county’s taxpayers than is necessary to fund their respective budgets.

It is also interesting that the Columbia County Tax Commissioner’s web site almost accurately describes the correct process for calculating the rate. If you were to ask Ms. Allen to confirm my assertion, I am sure that she will agree that every Columbia taxing authority failed to follow the millage calculation procedure recommended by the state Department of Revenue.

I am available to assist you in your further investigation of Columbia County’s incorrect tax rates.