The Mt. Airy Town Council discussed setting their millage rate at Monday night’s meeting but decided to table the matter until next Monday to ensure they had exact figures to make that decision.
The town is experiencing a downturn in revenue due to competition with other cities, officials said. Over the last year, Baldwin, Cornelia, and Clarkesville have allowed liquor stores to come to their cities, with Cornelia and Clarkesville having stores opening during that period. Mt. Airy used to hold the distinction as the only place in Habersham County where you could buy liquor.
According to Mt. Airy Mayor Ray McAllister, the competition has cost the town somewhere in the neighborhood of $26,000 to $28,000.
Another service that many cities provide is GCIC employment background checks for businesses. Mt. Airy has seen a significant decrease in revenue in that department this year as well. Council members did not discuss a specific dollar amount.
Inflation is also a concern, giving way to discussions of a possible millage rate increase.
“I mean, we beat this to death last year,” said Mt. Airy Councilmember Ken Moore regarding the council’s debate on whether to raise taxes last year. “At some point, we’re going to have to make an increase,” he said.
Fellow councilmember Adam Tullis did not object to an increase but said he wanted to know exact numbers before making a decision.
“I will be honest with you. I’ll tell you like I told you last year, I would like to see a one mill increase, but I don’t get to vote,” Mayor McAllister said.
Councilmember Mike McCoy was not opposed to the idea of a millage rate increase. However, he felt that it should be raised in small increments.
“I think, as much as we have a fiduciary responsibility, you know, responsible for taxpayer’s dollars and not raise taxes, which we can all agree, we have successfully done for decades. There is also the other responsibility that we making sure we have funds to provide services to our constituents,” said Councilmember Patrick Ledford.
Mt. Airy City Clerk Sheri Berrong told the council that when she returned from clerk’s training, she would get the exact numbers to them by the end of the week.
The town council tabled the matter and set a special called meeting for Monday, September 18, at 6:30 p.m.
