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COLUMBUS, Ga. — “Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.” — Adam Smith.
Columbus residents can rest a bit easier now that city councilors have unanimously voted to lower property taxes throughout the Fountain City.
During the city council meeting held on June 27, the Muscogee County property tax millage rates were lowered to keep a grand total of $7 million in the pockets of taxpayers, as follows:
The reductions equate to annual savings for every homeowner throughout the entirety of Columbus.
According to Finance Director Angelica Alexander, the average $375,000 home in Urban Service District 2 would see an annual savings of $170 per year while slightly smaller $200,000 homes in Urban Service District 1 would save $70 per year.
While those numbers may seem small for the average homeowner, it makes a big difference in keeping rents from skyrocketing throughout the city — which would otherwise greatly contribute to increased poverty, crime, and blight.
That same millage rate decrease is a much bigger relief to commercial property owners and landlords who were recently slammed with huge valuation increases, as the reduction now saves them — and their renters — amounts in the tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in property tax bills.
With lower taxes, landlords aren’t forced to increase rents for their tenants, who in turn keep more of their own money in their own pockets. That, in turn, leads to fewer evictions, greater stability, less crime, and fewer dilapidated buildings.
THE AWAKENING
The rare decrease in the property tax rate came after weeks of deliberation, a delayed vote, and heated debate.
Initially, the city was set to garner an additional $10 million in property taxes as a result of ‘reassessments’ in property values. Many residents were being slammed with property valuation increases upwards of 300%. As a result, their tax bills would have been enormous.
For several weeks, Columbus property owners voiced extreme concerns over the huge increases in property taxes they were projected to pay. Through three public hearings, residents explained to city officials that the huge tax increases would leave them no choice but to either raise rents or sell their property — which would lead to increased poverty, crime, and blight throughout the city.
A UNANIMOUS UNDERSTANDING
During the city council meeting held on June 27, officials finally proved they were listening by doing something governments very seldom ever do: they unanimously voted to lower the property tax rate, placing $7 million back in the hands of taxpayers instead of garnering it to fill the city’s already-overflowing coffers.
At the onset of the discussion during the June 27 meeting, City Councilor Glenn Davis (District 2) began by making the following statement:
“Mayor, look — there’s a number of council members who have been having a conversation deliberating on the idea of lowering the millage. In the spirit of the citizens being very gracious to us and allowing us to operate with dedicated pennies: we’ve got so many projects going on now because the citizens have deemed it worthy that we can be trusted with what they’ve allowed us to manage. And there’s a lot of projects going on, and there’s a lot of money that’s being generated through those pennies over the course of time. And the citizens voted on that, and we’re very grateful. It does a lot of things for our community.
Therefore, on behalf of the Council, what I would like to do is amend the operating budget — and I would certainly encourage unanimous support by the rest of the Council.
I make a motion that we adjust the budget in the form of a reduction that will lower the millage rate for the citizens.”
Not only did Davis make that motion to take $7 million away from the government and keep it in the pockets of residents, but he also came ready with a plan on how to accomplish that without harming other parts of the budget beyond repair.
Through heated debate — and we mean heated — Davis and his fellow councilors worked through the kinks with department heads and city officials to ultimately lower the millage rate enough to save taxpayers $7 million of the total $10 million projected tax increase.
When the details were all worked out and it came down to a vote, city council passed the motion unanimously.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It might not be the whole $10 million, but hey: a 70% compromise that ends in a unanimous vote to decrease taxes is a pretty darn good day in government.
Based on inside knowledge the Muckraker just-so-happens to have from some very well-placed sources — along with a pretty good grasp on the dynamics of long-term policy effects — we at the Muckraker are very confident in saying that the decreased millage rate will largely contribute to preventing the further spread of poverty, crime, and blight here in our city.
Let’s all take a minute to recognize what we all just witnessed: a very rare example of a citizenry using civic engagement, tactful discussion, and persistent resolve to have their government voluntarily restrain its own tax revenue — all by having legislators come to a mutual understanding of the secondary and tertiary effects of their actions.
Job well done, all.
Very well done indeed.
Stay with the Muckraker as we continue our detailed coverage of the Muscogee County Millage Decrease in the coming days.
Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.
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