The story
More than a year after three Stephens County school millage-rate hearings were scheduled, the official notices connected to the process still do not document the final action. WNEG Radio reported, however, that the Stephens County Board of Education unanimously approved a 13.50-mill 2025 rate after its third and final public hearing on July 31, 2025. That reported approval is the clearest account of the outcome, but it is not an official record of the board’s action.
The decision affects property owners because the school millage rate is part of the property-tax calculation and helps finance the school system. WNEG Radio reported that 13.50 mills represented a partial rollback, but remained above the 12.30-mill full-rollback figure cited in the school system’s tax-increase notice. The notice projected that the tentative increase would add about $84 for a home valued at $175,000 and about $36 for non-homestead property valued at $75,000.
The Board of Education’s process began with a tentative 13.50-mill proposal and three announced public hearings: July 24 at 6 p.m., July 30 at 7:15 a.m. and July 31 at 5:30 p.m., all at the Stephens County Schools Administrative Office on Big A School Road in Toccoa. WNEG Radio reported that the first hearing occurred July 24, followed by the remaining sessions, and that a called meeting to adopt the rate had been scheduled for July 31 after the final hearing. The official agenda listings establish the hearing dates, but do not themselves say whether the meetings occurred or what followed.
Residents who spoke at the hearings told WNEG Radio that higher tax bills were especially difficult for seniors living on fixed incomes; 13 people attended the first session, the station reported, and nine attended the final one. Superintendent Dr. Connie Franklin said the school board did not control property-value assessments or reassessments and cited budget pressures including utilities and inflation. The school system’s position, as reported by WNEG Radio, was that the 13.50-mill figure was a partial rollback intended to keep taxes as low as possible while addressing those costs.
The July notices document proposals and scheduled hearings, not an adopted rate, vote, implementation date or account of public testimony. Separately, WNEG Radio reported that the final hearing took place and that the board unanimously approved 13.50 mills. Those accounts should not be read as official proof of the final action: no linked official item-result record, minutes or later official notice here confirms the reported vote or establishes how the rate was implemented.
No additional 2025 millage-rate hearing is scheduled in the notices. The next meaningful public step would be an official Board of Education record—such as meeting minutes, a vote record or a later notice—that identifies the final action and rate. Until that appears, the public can distinguish the station’s reported 13.50-mill approval from what the official hearing notices establish, while the details of the board’s documented final action remain unresolved.
Arguments in the record
Positions presented publicly
Residents who spoke at the hearings said higher property-tax bills were difficult, particularly for seniors on fixed incomes.
Superintendent Connie Franklin said assessments were outside the board’s control and pointed to inflation and utility costs affecting the school budget; WNEG Radio reported the board approved the partial rollback.
Local reporting