Even though they haven’t officially voted to set the county’s tax millage rate, the White County Board of Commissioners has approved a consensus vote to support a full rollback of the millage rate.
The commissioners took that action Thursday during a called meeting that included a report from Tax Assessors Board Chairman Roy Johnson and Chief Tax Appraisor Bryan Payne about the process of compiling this year’s tax digest.
Because of a late tax digest and other factors, county staff has already sent out a notice to be published in the local newspaper that indicated commissioners were going to reduce the millage rate three-quarters of a mill from 10.75 to 10 mills.
Commission Chairman Travis Turner said that notice will be retracted.
“Our county staff is in the process of retracting that announcement and will be reflecting us, as the board of commissioners, taking the rollback which is 9.505 which would require only one public meeting or hearing,” said Turner.
He added that most White County residents should not see an increase in the county portion of their property tax bills.
The commissioners must wait until the White County Board of Education approves their millage rate before officially setting the county rate. The BOE has indicated that it too will take a full rollback of the millage rate which they are set to approve on August 23.
The later than usual setting of the millage rate will mean that tax bills will be late appearing in property owners’ mailboxes, but still well ahead of the due date for those taxes to be paid.
