Bartow County School System Chief Financial Officer Megan Brown gave the Board of Education a snapshot about how local taxation and the millage rate work during its July 20 meeting. The presentation came after the district’s first public hearing on its tentative tax levy. The BCSS is advertising a budget that would keep the millage rate the same, at 17.18 mills, rather than using the rollback rate of 16.76 mills. “This 17.18 mills is a starting point in our process,” Brown said. “When we were doing this last year and we had the first ad go out to the newspaper it was published at 17.43 because that is what we had the previous year,” interjected District 3 Board Member Matt Shultz. “We went through the process and had the biggest millage rate in the history of Bartow County later on.” “That’s exactly right,” Brown said. “This ad is saying that we have a starting point by tentatively setting it at 17.18. You can adopt a millage rate that’s from 17.18 or under. You can’t go up on the rate at this point. "We are tied at keeping it at 17.18, and if you guys decide you want to decrease it, we have that ability as well. We have to go through the process.” Brown broke down how local revenue streams into the budget worked. The largest source of local funding is ad valorem taxation, which accounts for a projected $103,752,634 of the estimated $232,251,341 in general fund revenue in the fiscal year 2027 budget. “Our primary strategic focus is achieving balance within such a volatile…
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