UPDATE: Bibb school board rejects 1-mill hike, tentatively keeps current rate

The proposed 14.674 mill rate is unchanged from 2025 but counts as a 9.33% tax increase under Georgia law because it exceeds the rollback rate.

UPDATE (8/20/26): The Bibb County Board of Education tentatively approved keeping the school district’s millage rate at 14.674 mills Thursday after rejecting a staff recommendation to raise it by 1 mill.

The rate would remain unchanged from 2025, but it’s higher than the state-calculated rollback rate of 13.422 mills. Georgia law classifies that as a 9.33% property tax increase.

The district projects the 14.674-mill rate will generate approximately $97.75 million in property tax revenue, about $8.34 million more than the rollback rate.

According to the district’s budget impact presentation, that additional revenue would reduce its projected fiscal year 2027 operating deficit from about $16.63 million to $8.29 million. The district projects it would end the fiscal year with a general fund balance of approximately $39.83 million.

For a home valued at $225,000, the district estimates the current rate would cost $103.92 more per year than the rollback rate for an owner receiving a $7,000 homestead exemption. That equals $8.66 per month. Without the exemption, the estimated difference is $112.68 per year or $9.39 per month. (Calculate your potential expected cost in the calculator below.)

During an afternoon millage rate presentation and again during a committee meeting, Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush recommended increasing the rate to 15.674 mills, citing the district’s budget deficit and the expected further loss of state funding due to declining enrollment. The proposed rate would have generated about $15 million more than the rollback rate (almost $7 million more than the current 14.674 rate) and counted as a 16.78% tax increase.

Board member Myrtice Johnson moved to approve the staff recommendation, and James Freeman seconded it.

But Board member Dr. Henry Ficklin opposed the increase and argued that the district should improve how it uses its current funding before asking taxpayers for more.

“I don’t think that we can really increase a rate on them and say that we’re being fair to them,” Ficklin said.

Ficklin proposed lowering the rate to 14.000 mills, but his motion did not receive a second.

Board member Barney Hester also opposed the proposed 1-mill increase.

“I can’t support that,” Hester said. “I know we’ve made some cuts. We’ve talked about consolidation, but we don’t have a plan there yet. Until we can make some plans to solve this problem, I don’t think we should put it on the taxpayers’ backs.”

Johnson argued that the district has already made extensive cuts and needs additional revenue to support students.

“No one likes to have a tax increase,” she said. “But sometimes we just can’t get around it. We’ve cut this budget and we’ve cut it to death. It is bleeding severely.”

The board then voted against the 1-mill increase recommendation. Freeman moved to keep the current 14.674 mill rate, and Hester seconded the motion before the board voted to approve.

Board President Daryl Morton said the state placed approximately $8.1 million in unfunded costs on the district during its latest budget cycle, including literacy coaches and higher health insurance expenses.

“Given that, I think not rolling back is reasonable and I will support it,” Morton said.

Ficklin said he would support keeping the current rate after his proposal to lower it failed, noting that the district would still receive more than $8 million in additional revenue.

Board members later approved the tentative rate as part of the consent agenda.

The district originally scheduled the millage rate discussion for August 12 but canceled it. District leaders presented the updated proposal at 3 p.m. Thursday before the committee discussion and vote.

According to the district’s Board Brief, three public hearings are scheduled before final adoption:

• September 2 at 5:30 p.m.
• September 9 at 11 a.m.
• September 9 at 6 p.m.

Those dates replace the district’s previously listed hearing and adoption schedule. The hearings will be held at the central office, located at 484 Mulberry Street, Suite 365 in Macon. The board is scheduled to consider final adoption of the millage rate September 9 at 6:30 p.m.

What the tentative rate could mean for your tax bill

One mill equals $1 in property tax for every $1,000 of taxable assessed value. In Georgia, a home’s assessed value is generally 40% of its fair market value. Applicable exemptions are subtracted from that assessed value before the millage rate is applied.

41NBC’s calculator below applies that formula to your home’s fair market value.

Other financial actions approved Thursday

In a separate financial action Thursday, the board authorized a Tax Anticipation Note resolution, according to the district’s Board Brief.

Supporting documents for the action list the two short-term notes at a combined $35 million. The district’s action memo says the money will cover salaries, benefits and operating costs until most property tax revenue arrives later in the year. The notes are due December 31.

The memo estimates the notes will cost approximately $440,000 in interest. The district says it plans to invest the proceeds until they are needed, which would recover part of that cost.

The board also approved a corrective action plan after the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts designated Bibb County Schools as a moderate-risk district based on four fiscal year 2025 audit findings.

The district received an unmodified opinion on the audit, which means its financial statements were presented fairly in all material respects. The corrective plan calls for stronger reconciliation and year-end review procedures, additional staff training, documented supervisory review and continued monitoring by district leaders and the board.

ORIGINAL STORY (8/6/26):

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Bibb County Board of Education is scheduled to consider tentative adoption of its millage rate Wednesday, August 12, weeks after restoring an estimated $1.5 million in staff salary step increases.

The district’s Simbli website identifies a called meeting that day as the tentative millage-rate adoption. An email sent by the district Thursday says the meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Professional Learning Center, located at 2003 Riverside Drive in Macon.

The district has not released its proposed millage rate or this year’s rollback rate. It said the full agenda will be posted before the meeting. If you can’t make it, the district will stream it on YouTube.

Board members voted July 16 to restore salary step increases for all eligible employees after the original fiscal year 2027 budget kept staff members at their current salary steps.

Daryl Morton cast the only opposing vote. Morton said he supported giving employees the increases but warned that restoring the money could lead to higher property taxes if the board does not adopt the rollback rate.

“The only way we have that additional revenue is if we don’t roll back the millage rate, which is a fancy way of saying we raise people’s taxes,” Morton said. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see how tough things are for people right now.”

In August 2025, the school board kept its millage rate at 14.674 mills. Although that was the same rate as the previous year, it was 0.652 mills above the rollback rate and counted as a tax increase under Georgia law.

The rollback rate is calculated annually using the tax digest. It’s the rate that would keep overall property tax revenue level as property values rise.

For a typical owner-occupied home valued at $200,000, the school board’s 2025 decision resulted in an estimated increase of $47.60 compared with the rollback rate.

When the board approved its original fiscal year 2027 budget June 25, the district said the budget did not include a millage-rate increase. That statement came before the board restored the salary step increases July 16.

The original budget projected $287.4 million in general fund revenue and transfers and $302.4 million in spending and transfers, which left a projected $15 million operating deficit. The district projected an ending general fund balance of $33.2 million.

The board’s Simbli website lists millage-rate public hearings for August 26 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. A third hearing is scheduled for September 2 at 5:30 p.m., followed by a called meeting for final adoption of the millage rate at 6 p.m.

Locations for those hearings and the September 2 meeting have not been posted. 41NBC will update this story when that information becomes available.