Barrow approves property tax hike

WINDER - The Barrow County Commission approved a proposed 2011 budget Tuesday that requires commissioners to raise the county's property tax millage rate by a mill to compensate for lost revenue.

The proposed spending plan, which will not be adopted until after several public hearings, caps county spending at $31.4 million, almost $2 million less than this year's budget and about $5 million less than the county spent in 2009.

Property tax revenue, calculated by using the county's current millage rate of 9.38 mills, was projected to shrink by $1.5 million next year because of declining property values.

The 1-mill increase will allow commissioners to bring in about $31.45 million in property tax revenue, slightly less than they plan to collect this year.

In addition to raising the millage rate, commissioners plan on cutting seven full-time jobs and one part-time position; 5.5 percent from each department's budget; about $70,000 of the $270,000 budgeted for attorney fees; and $24,000 from the county Leisure Services Department.

► Read the letter interim emergency services chief John Skinner wrote to Barrow commissioners.

Commissioners have not decided which eight positions they will eliminate.

One preliminary proposal, which never was formally presented, asked commissioners to close

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