Proposed rollback millage rate presented at Centerville council meeting

CENTERVILLE — The City of Centerville was presented with a proposed millage rate during their council meeting Tuesday. The final decision will be made at the next meeting. 

City Accountant Carol Harrison told Mayor J. Micheal Evans and council there has been a correction to the millage rate. She explained she has recalculated it to include the gross Homestead Exemption amount. The rollback rate will now be 8.846 mils. It was originally 8.871. 

The property taxes will have a decrease of $8,000, according to Harrison. It, levied with the millage rate, will be about $3,168,036 in total taxes. 

According to council documents, the city’s budget is $3,196,798. This is a difference of $28,762 between the city’s budget and total taxes. 

At the beginning of the meeting Evans announced a partnership between the city and Central Georgia Technical College. The city offered a GED Boot Camp, which started on Aug.31. The event was open to anyone who was interested in receiving their GED. Participants received classes in math, reasoning through language arts, science and social studies. They also learned effective test strategies to boost their confidence. 

The program normally takes six to 12 months, but the boot camp was designed for students to get through it faster. At the end of the boot camp, they will perform the GED test. If they pass, they will be able to further their studies at CGTC. 

Councilmember Velicia Lowe said she is excited the boot camp was offered in the city. She said she hopes it will continue to be a resource in the future. 

Evans said he is excited about the city’s partnership with CGTC and it has been in the works for years.

“[I’m] glad to see something is finally being done. I like for us to continue to work with him and do more in the future. We’ll see where that goes after this boot camp,” he said.