|
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
April 24,
2005
MUSCOGEE
SCHOOL SYSTEM NAMED TO "HALL OF MILLAGE RATE SHAME"
MillageRate.com, an advocacy group committed to promoting honesty in property
taxation in Georgia, has named the Muscogee County School District to its "Hall
of Millage Rate Shame" at its web site,
www.millagerate.com.
The "Hall of
Millage Rate Shame" highlights the "worst of the worst" Georgia taxing
authorities who abuse the property taxation process, usually by overtaxing its
residents through the setting of an arbitrarily-established millage (tax) rate.
Those listed in the "Hall of Millage Rate Shame" have established a long history
incorrect taxation, grossly overtaxed or undertaxed its constituents, and
publicly demonstrated ignorance of the property tax process.
The Muscogee
County School District is the "Hall of Millage Rate Shame's" inaugural member.
The school district's inclusion was based on an analysis of its budgets and tax
rates for the past three years. Other proposed members are currently pending
verification and analysis.
"The Muscogee
County School Board has a dark and checkered history of overtaxation," says
MillageRate.com founder Bob Griggs. "The school system has set the millage rate
at the same number for the past 15 years-- a mathematical impossibility. For at
least the past three years, the school system has grossly overtaxed the
residents of Muscogee County and blamed it on somebody else."
Griggs said
that the school board's annual contention that it has not "raised taxes" in 15
years is a terrible deception. Last year, for example, the owner of a $150,000
home paid $88.68 more than necessary in property taxes for schools. This year,
the school board is set to overtax Muscogee residents again.
Public
hearings on the millage rate are set for April 25, May 9 and May 16. The school
board proposes to adopt the inflated millage rate immediately following the May
16 hearing.
"The facts
are undeniable," said Griggs. "The Muscogee County School system wants to take
more from Muscogee property owners than is required to fund its 2006 budget.
The only reason they can claim that it is not a "tax increase" is because they
did the same thing the year before-- and the year before that."
According to
Griggs, Muscogee's school millage rate should actually be closer to 22.00,
depending on the net tax digest. Griggs said that the school board can reduce
the tax rate by 6% and still fully fund the budget.
"More importantly, the Muscogee School Board has the opportunity to deal
honestly with its constituents," said Griggs.
MillageRate.com is a grassroots effort seeking a state law requiring taxing
authorities-- cities, counties and school boards-- to set a
mathematically-correct millage rate. For more information about MillageRate.com,
visit the web site or contact Bob Griggs, 770-713-8070 or
bobg@millagerate.com.
|
