Politics & Government
Brookhaven City Council Recommends 2.85 Millage Rate
The council will vote on the millage rate Tuesday.
After months of controversy and rumors of planned tax increases, the Brookhaven City Council recommended a 2.85 millage rate on Monday, less than the cap required by the city charter.
"There are still some figures that are not completely firm,” said Rebecca Chase Williams, the District 1 city councilperson who originally suggested a 2.95 millage rate. “We're all taxpayers too, and yet we want to be able to provide the kind of services that we promised our citizens, first and foremost being public safety."
She said the 2.95 millage rate would have covered $5.4 million in property taxes "with a little bit of wiggle room" for a reserve fund.
“My only intent would be to try to build up a reserve,” Williams said regarding the 2.95 rate. “Recent years have shown that [the economy] can turn on a dime."
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District 2 city councilman Jim Eyre said he preferred a millage rate of 2.85. District 4 councilman Joe Gebbia also supported a 2.85 rate.
Replay Patch’s live blog of the event on this page.
Find out what's happening in Brookhavenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The city council will vote on the millage rate during its Tuesday, July 9, meeting.
But in an interview with Patch, Davis said, "My goal remains the same: for Brookhaven taxpayers to pay equal or less than their previous tax rate while receiving better quality city services."
Back in early March, again first reported on Patch, as the city was preparing to adopt a budget, another round of robocalls claimed Davis was planning to increase property taxes and also increase taxes on electricity and land line phone services.
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