Hinesville City Council members have approved a new millage rate that is lower than last year’s but still is expected to bring in more tax revenue.

While the net millage has been cut from 10.7 in 2018 to the current rate of 10.15, the city’s tax digest has grown, rising from $629 million to nearly $981 million in that five-year span, a growth rate of

55.88%.

The city has rolled back its millage rage six of the last nine years, Chief Financial Officer Kim Ryon pointed out, and the adopted millage rate is even lower than the one council adopted in 1984. However, since the millage is not being lowered to the full rollback rate, the rate at which it offsets the rise in the tax digest, the city had to hold three public hearings on the millage rate. 

With the new millage rate, the city projects to collect more than $9.95 million in property taxes, a $1.86 million increase from 2022 when it brought in nearly $8.1 million. The digest has grown so much that even with the millage rate sliced by more than half a mill over the last five years, the city’s property tax collections have grown by more than 47.8% over the last five years.

Because of a duplication of services, Liberty County charges a lower millage rate for Hinesville residents than it does for those living in the unincorporated parts of the county. For 2022, Ryon said, the county rolled back its millage 2.5974 mills for city residents. County commissioners have not set their millage yet, but Ryon said they are looking at a 2.6321 mills rollback for 2023.