Continuing a tradition that has been constant for over 25 years, the Dawsonville City Council voted this week to keep the city’s millage rate at 0 for 2021. 

According to the city council’s meeting agenda packet for Monday, Aug. 2, the established rate for 2021, had the council not voted to roll it back, would have been 8.021. 

The millage rate is the formula that calculates property taxes. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in assessed property value, which is 40 percent of the actual market value.

After the meeting, Dawsonville Mayor Mike Eason said that it’s important to continue rolling back the millage rate to avoid over-taxing city residents who are already paying county taxes. 

“Basically we feel like we can provide services without taxing additional taxes on our citizens,” Eason said. “All of us pay county property taxes and services are provided for all of us throughout the county from those.

Eason said that the city is able to fund its projects and services through other ways of funding, such as its portion of the local option sales tax (LOST) and special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST). Because of this, the city is able to fund what it needs without levying the extra property tax from its residents, he said. 

“There’s no reason to double-charge taxes; we’re one of a few cities that don’t charge property tax on the city which I think is a real benefit to those living in the city,” Eason said. 

During the meeting, City Finance Administrator Robin Gazaway presented the millage rate to the mayor and council members, explaining how much the city residents will save with the millage rate rolled back to 0. 

“It’s a substantial savings to the citizens; if they had a $250,000 home… it’ll save them about $800 on their property taxes if we do this,” Gazaway said. “We are going to roll it back to 0 so there will be no tax consequences to our constituents.” 

Council members voted unanimously to roll back the 2021 millage rate.