Thursday, July 5, 2012
Annexation application will now go to Gwinnett County for review.
Now the waiting can commence. On July 5, the Dacula City Council unanimously accepted an annexation application from Walton Georgia LLC related to a 157-acre tract of property near Highway 316 and Winder Highway. The application will now be sent to Gwinnett County for review. “After 30 days, we’ll know whether or not we need to arbitrate or go forward with public hearings,” said Joey Murphy, Director of Planning and Development for the City of Dacula. The application, Murphy emphasized, relates only to the annexation request itself, not to the “live, work, play” community proposed by the property developers. Any requests related to the development of the property would not be reviewed until the matter of annexation is settled. In February …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Dacula residents take advantage of opportunity to voice concerns over millage rate proposal.
City spending, previous millage rate increases and ongoing economic difficulties were among the concerns cited by the three residents who addressed the Dacula City Council during Thursday night's public hearing on the proposed property tax millage rate (see video for highlights). The hearing was the second of three that have been scheduled to allow the public the opportunity to provide feedback about the proposed tax increase. The first hearing was held Thursday morning and the third will be held Thursday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening’s public hearing was followed by a brief work session in which Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks advised that the vote on an annexation request and the proposed millage rate increase will take place during the …
Only two people were in attendance for the first of three public hearings on the proposed tax increase.
If Thursday morning’s hearing was any indication, there is little or no opposition to the City of Dacula’s proposed millage rate increase. City officials have proposed setting the 2012 millage rate at 5.703. The new rate would result in increased tax revenue for the city of approximately $103 or 0.02 percent more than was collected in 2011. Residents whose property values have fallen will pay about the same or less under the proposed millage rate. Property owners who assessed values remain unchanged may pay slightly more. Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks said his property bill would be roughly $40 higher should the new millage rate be approved. City leaders have proposed raising the millage rate to compensate for a lower tax digest. Wilbanks …
Friday, June 22, 2012
Proposed millage rate for residents within the city limits of Dacula is higher than last year.
The City of Dacula will hold three public hearings to discuss a proposed millage rate increase. City officials have proposed setting the 2012 millage rate at 5.703. Last year's rate was 5.128. In an email to Dacula Patch, Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks wrote the tax digest has fallen from $124 million in 2011 to $111 million for 2012. The lower tax digest means revenues for the city will likewise be lower unless the millage rate is increased. Without the increase, the city stands to lose nearly $10,000. "For those whose property values have fallen or been adjusted downward, most will pay about the same or slightly less than in 2011," Wilbanks wrote. "Those whose property values remained the same will see a slight increase." The public hearings will …
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Officials say city will lose money unless millage rate is changed.
Lower tax digest numbers may result in higher property taxes for City of Dacula residents. According to Dacula City Administrator Jim Osborn, the millage rate would need to be increased to 5.703 from the current rate of 5.128 in order to avoid a revenue shortfall. Last year, the City of Dacula increased the millage rate from 4.67 to 5.128 in an attempt to partially compensate for lost revenue caused by a fall in the tax digest. Though the millage rate increased, most property owners did not see an increased tax bill due to lower property values. Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks said this year could be different. Any resident whose property value remains unchanged from last year would see a higher tax bill. Wilbanks said the taxes on his home would …
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Rate reduced .23 mils.
Gwinnett County property owners got a tax break, albeit a small one, Monday when commissioners voted to reduce the millage rate. “The rate was lowered from 13.25 mils to 13.02 mils,” said Joe Sorenson, communications director for Gwinnett County. “The .23 mil reduction was in the bond levy, which fell from .47 mils to .24 mils.” The vote was taken at a special called meeting of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. Sorenson said the reduced millage rate would mean an annual saving of about $15.60 for the typical homeowner. He said the drop was due to the retirement of debt. "There had been some discussion about transferring it to reduce other obligations early, but ultimately commissioners decided against that, voting 5-0 to reduce …
Monday, July 11, 2011
City of Dacula considering millage rate increase. Council will vote to set the millage rate after the public hearing.
The City of Dacula will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 12 to allow citizens the opportunity to provide input on a proposed millage rate increase. The council met in a called session on Tuesday, June 21 to discuss a change to the city’s current 4.67 millage rate. If left unchanged, the city will collect significantly less revenue than in 2010 according to Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks. In an interview after the June 21 meeting, Wilbanks said more layoffs would be necessary if the millage rate is not increased. Due to a drop in the tax digest, leaving the rate at 4.67 would result in the city collecting $80,000 less than last year. The city has proposed increasing the millage rate to 5.128. At that rate, the city would still collect …
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Possibility of rate increase discussed at June 21 called meeting. No media present for deliberations due to "oversight."
Property owners within the Dacula city limits may soon be hit with a millage rate increase. The Dacula City Council met in a called session on Tuesday, June 21 to discuss a change to the city’s current 4.67 millage rate. If left unchanged, the city will collect significantly less revenue than in 2010 according to Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks. “Nobody wants to do a tax increase,” he said. “If we leave it where we are, we’re going to be $80,000 in the hole.” Wilbanks said more layoffs would be necessary if the rate is not increased. “It could be 4.67 if the council will tell me who they want fired,” Wilbanks said. “Our budget is so tight now, if we have an $80,000 decrease in our tax collections, we’re going to have to lay people off.” …
Beth
1:38 pm on Friday, June 29, 2012
Please if leaving comments - be truthful. I was there. Mayor Wilbanks never, not once, showed any anger. Only frustration I heard was with governmental red tape. I was treated with respect and courtesy. more ›