ALBANY, GA – In a significant move reflecting their commitment to fiscal responsibility and community welfare, the Dougherty County Board of Education unanimously voted to adopt a millage rate of 17.993 at their meeting Monday, Aug. 14, marking the first time since 2002 that the property tax rate that Dougherty County citizens pay for school taxes has been below 18 mils.
Continuing a recent trend, the move is a decrease from last year's millage rate. In fact, the board has rolled back the property tax rate six times over the last seven years. Notably, the board has not raised the millage rate for nearly two decades.
Dougherty County School System Superintendent Kenneth Dyer expressed his gratitude for the collaborative efforts that made this possible.
"The shared commitment to being fiscally responsible between district leadership and the board has been instrumental in allowing us to roll back property taxes," said Dyer. "This has been achieved all while approving an historic investment in our students and accumulating a robust reserve fund."
Board Chair Melissa Strother said that the board is committed to balancing the funding requirements of the district with its responsibilities to be dedicated trustees of taxpayer dollars.
“The staff has done a tremendous job navigating through challenges that we really haven’t seen before in terms of COVID-19, staffing shortages and the like and doing it all while keeping a close eye on the budget,” Strother said. “We will continue to work with district leadership to ensure that we provide the resources to support the very best educational opportunities for our students while being financially responsible with tax dollars.”
Rev. James Bush, board member for District 5 and Board Finance Committee Chair, also weighed in on the decision.
"I am deeply appreciative of the good stewardship displayed by Superintendent Dyer and Mrs. Hatcher, our district's Chief Finance Officer, and all the finance staff," said Bush. "Their work enables the board to leave more money in the pockets of Dougherty County tax payers."
Although property taxes have seen fluctuations in various parts of Georgia, the Dougherty County Board of Education's decision stands as a testament to its dedication to the community's financial well-being. According to a report by data analysts at ATTOM, the average property tax bill in Georgia jumped 11% between 2020 and 2021 alone. Yet, for the Dougherty County Board of Education, the property tax rate has either steadily decreased or remained the same for nearly 20 years.
While the board has been rolling back the property tax rate for citizens, the superintendent and district staff have been able to leverage millions of dollars in external funding for projects ranging from school safety improvements to unique technology partnerships with global tech giants like Apple. Additionally, the district has demonstrated its commitment to investing in its employees as indicated by salary increases for teachers and other classified employees, retention incentives for all district employees and enhanced benefits packages.
Dyer said that they’ve been able to do this by being innovative in their approach to funding, advocating for resources at the state and federal levels, and prudent management of existing funds to ensure the people’s money is spent properly. “We’re intentionally leveraging external funding sources such as grants and state and federal funding awards to take pressure off of the local taxpayer,” Dyer said. “We’ve also trimmed up the organization so that we’re able to function more efficiently which lowers cost.”