The City of Cornelia will swear in newly appointed Ward 1 Commissioner, Jeff Wilson, at their Nov. 2 meeting, as well as hold their second public hearing for their millage rate.
Wilson swearing-in
The commission voted unanimously at the beginning of the month to appoint Wilson to serve as the Ward 1 commissioner until the March 2022 election, at which point he will have to run for city commissioner to keep his seat.
Wilson will fill the seat left empty after Cornelia Ward 1 Commissioner Wes Dodd passed away in September. The appointment is fitting, considering that Dodd had encouraged Wilson to run for a seat on the commission in the past.
“Wes [Dodd] and I talked about the Ward 1 position this summer as he was beginning his cancer treatments and he encouraged me to consider serving if the opportunity presented itself,” Wilson told Now Habersham after the commission voted to appoint him. “Being a member of the Cornelia community, I see the commission position as an opportunity to serve my neighbors and all the citizens of Cornelia.”
Millage rate public hearing
The city is considering leaving the millage rate as-is at 8.5 mills, per the suggestion of City Manager Dee Anderson. Some cities in the county, such as Demorest and Baldwin, have rolled back their millage rates to try to keep financial burden off citizens after the county’s property taxes increased earlier this year due to increased property values county-wide.
Anderson says that keeping the millage rate the same in Cornelia would result in some raised taxes in the city due to the county’s property tax increase. According to the city manager, a Cornelia home with a fair market value of $80,000 would see a tax increase of $19.14 and a home valued at $200,000 would see an increase of $51.04.
Anyone who wishes to speak on the millage rate should plan to attend the meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at the Cornelia City Hall.
