Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters held a meeting on Friday morning to set the millage rate for Chattooga County.  In attendance at the meeting were Winters and AM 1180’s Jimmy Holbrook.

The commissioner set the millage rate at 11.534 mills.  According to the Commissioner, the county’s total net tax digest shows a $50 million decrease over last year.  That is about a ten percent decrease.  With the millage rate at the rate set today by the Commissioner, the county will see around $339,000 less tax dollars collected in 2012 vs. 2011.

Winters said that the county will have to make up the difference through cuts to the county’s operating budget.  Winters said that he would be looking at cuts similar to what other governments in the area had taken to reduce the budget.  Winters said these cuts could include: furlough days, cuts to health care benefits and even some positions being eliminated entirely.

Winters said, “We have held off from foregoing many cuts thinking the tax digest would turn around, but we continue to see a decrease in land and home values in the county.”

The Chattooga County Board of Assessors prepares the tax digest for the county.