VCC Sets 2020 Millage Rates
The Vidalia City Council set millage rates Wednesday, September 2, in a called meeting at the Vidalia Municipal Complex. With incorporated properties in both Toombs and Montgomery counties, the city set two separate millage rates for property taxes.
In Toombs County, no change was made to the city’s 4.201 millage rate from the previous year. This millage rate should raise $1.3 million in property taxes (net taxes to be levied). “I will probably budget 90-95% of that as revenues to be collected. You are not likely to collect 100% of that,” said City Finance Director Bill Bedingfield. In 2019, the city levied taxes on $1.26 million. Residents of the City of Vidalia will receive two tax bills, one from the city and one from the county. Bedingfield said that real property growth within the city accounted for the $31, 701.96 net tax increase (2.50%) that the city should collect in the next fiscal year. This increase helped to keep the millage rate level. In Montgomery County, owing to a deflation in property values, the city set a millage of 3.723 mills with $40,954.70 net taxes to be levied. The previous rate was 3.720 mills with $41,845.87 net taxes levied. “Because of the deflation we will lose $891.17 (minus 2.13%) compared to the 2019 digest,” Bedingfield explained. “So, overall the whole digest went down slightly. We can increase the millage just a tad to keep the revenue the same, but we are not really raising property taxes.”
The residents of Montgomery County who live inside the City of Vidalia limits will get two tax bills, one from the city of Vidalia and one from Montgomery County.
