GAINESVILLE – Unanimous approval was given Tuesday evening by the Gainesville City Council to the FY 2022 city budget and the five millage rates that will combine to form the annual ad valorem tax bills for property owners in the city.
Those approved millage rates are as follows:
- General Government – 1.010 mils with 0.500 mils of that used for debt service
- Fire Services – 1.250 mils
- Parks and Recreation – 0.896 mils
- Police Services – 0.500 mils
- Board of Education – 6.395 mils
That totals 10.051 mils, or $10.05.1, and will be assessed on each $1000 of property evaluation subject to ad valorem taxation. Those tax bills will be sent to property owners later this year.
City Manager Bryan Lackey commented that a big help in allowing for a full rollback on the General Government millage rate was funding from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Lackey said those funds (approximately $12-million) could have been used for a wide array of needs but city leaders wanted to return the money to the people of Gainesville. “We could have done a lot of great projects with that, but we all felt that because we’d been blessed…and we’re doing really well…we felt the right thing to do was to give it back to the community.”
GAINESVILLE JOINS COVID VACCINE EFFORT
Gainesville City Councilwoman Barbara Brooks announced at Tuesday’s city council meeting that the City of Gainesville is partnering with the Brenau University School of Nursing, Grace Episcopal Church and St. Paul United Methodist Church, Summit Street, to offer free COVID-19 vaccinations at the Fair Street Neighborhood Center (715 Fair Street) on Saturday, June 26, for the first shot, and then on Saturday, July 24, for the second shot.
“This clinic is the latest effort by the city along with its partners to insure good health among those in the community,” Brooks said.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health website, the Hall County vaccination rate is only 32-percent.
“This is very important,” Brooks added. “We need to get the percentage of vaccinations up in Hall County.”
Shots will be given on both dates listed above from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. The service is free but those planning to attend are asked to RSVP at (770) 654-1277 to assure that sufficient doses of the Moderna vaccine are on hand.
