Hazlehurst residents will have one final scheduled opportunity Thursday to address the City Council before officials consider formally adopting the city’s 2026 property tax millage rate.
The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, October 22, followed by a meeting at 5:30 p.m. to consider adoption of the rate. Both meetings will take place at Hazlehurst City Hall, 86 S. Cromartie Street. The proposed rate is 7 mills, an increase from the city’s 2025 rate of 6 mills.
Although council members previously voted to establish the seven-mill rate, questions raised during the October 15 meeting suggest that at least one council member wants to examine whether the city could maintain its existing rate.
During the September 17 City Council meeting, members voted 3–0 to set the proposed rate at seven mills. The city subsequently began the required public notification and hearing process after determining that the proposed rate would exceed the rollback millage rate.
At a called meeting October 13, the council approved a budget amendment allocating approximately $140,444 in projected additional property tax revenue associated with the seven-mill rate.
However, during the October 15 meeting, Councilman Chris Jones questioned whether the increase should be reconsidered. Jones noted that the city previously reduced its millage rate from eight mills to six mills following storm-related hardships and raised the possibility of maintaining the current rate.
The city attorney explained that the millage rate must be established by ordinance and indicated he would review the procedural requirements involved in changing the proposed rate. City officials also expressed concern that delays in adopting the rate could postpone property tax billing and the collection of city revenue.
A millage rate determines how much property tax is levied for every $1,000 of taxable property value. Under the proposed increase, the city’s rate would rise from six mills to seven mills. The city’s public notice describes the proposal as a 30.09% property tax increase above the rollback rate. That figure does not mean every property owner’s total tax bill would increase by 30.09%.
The rollback rate is calculated to account for changes in the tax digest and represents the rate designed to offset revenue increases attributable to reassessments.
An individual property owner’s tax bill depends on factors including assessed value, applicable exemptions and the rates imposed by other taxing authorities.
Earlier this year, the Jeff Davis County Board of Commissioners approved a reduction in its millage rate from 12.175 to 11.5 mills. The Jeff Davis County Board of Education also reduced its rate from 13.5 to 12.5 mills. Those rates represent separate portions of the overall property tax calculation and do not determine the city’s rate.
The city previously held public hearings October 14.
The final scheduled hearing will take place Thursday, October 22, at 4:30 p.m., followed by the scheduled millage-rate adoption meeting at 5:30 p.m.
Both meetings will be held at Hazlehurst City Hall.
The council’s final decision will determine whether the city proceeds with the proposed seven-mill rate or takes another course of action.
Hazlehurst Now will report the outcome following Thursday’s meeting.
