Toccoa sets 5.20-mill tax rate, leaving individual bill changes unresolved

Toccoa’s City Commission unanimously adopted a 5.20-mill city property-tax rate for 2025 at its Aug. 25 meeting, setting the figure that will be used for the city portion of this year’s property taxes. Vice-Mayor Hellenga made the motion and Commissioner Jamieson seconded it; the commission approved the measure without opposition, according to the meeting minutes and an official item-result record.

The vote matters because the millage rate is a core part of calculating city property taxes for homeowners, landlords and businesses. A fixed rate alone does not reveal a resident’s final bill: the amount also depends on a parcel’s taxable value and any applicable exemptions. The official record establishes the 5.20-mill rate, but it does not state the resulting tax amount for individual households.

The commission’s Aug. 25 agenda first listed consideration of the 2025 tax millage rate, placing the decision before the body that evening. The vote then converted that scheduled item into adopted city policy. WNEG Radio reported the following day that city officials described the action as a rollback, but the minutes and official item-result record document the adoption itself rather than the basis for that comparison.

City officials presented the outcome positively in WNEG Radio’s reporting. City Manager Fredda Wheeler said the rollback was from an advertised 6% to 5.2%, and Mayor Terry Carter welcomed the rollback and credited Finance Director Becky Bohannon’s budget work. Those comments describe the administration’s view of the decision; the official minutes do not explain why commissioners selected 5.20 mills, nor do they record competing public positions.

The 5.20-mill rate is approved, not a pending proposal. WNEG Radio’s rollback account is reported context, and its comparison pairs an advertised percentage with the adopted mills figure; the official records do not establish the previous rate or how that comparison was calculated. They also do not show individual parcel values, exemptions or the dollar increase, decrease or stability residents may see on their bills.

For property owners, the next practical step is to apply the approved city rate to the taxable value and exemptions listed in their assessment and tax information. WNEG Radio reported that 2025 property-tax bills were scheduled to be mailed Sept. 15 and due Nov. 15. The commission’s rate decision is settled; what remains undecided in the public account is how it compared with the prior year and what it will mean in dollars for any given property.