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Long BoE cuts tax rate
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Long County residents received good news last week after board of education members voted at a meeting to lower a tax rate.
School Superintendent Dr. Robert Waters said the BoE was able to cut the rate because the district has saved approximately $200,000 thanks to a bond that was refinanced at a lower interest rate.
In 1993, Long County voters approved a referendum to issue a bonded debt for school system facilities. The debt was supposed to be repaid with a levy of an ad valorem tax of 1.614 mils, which was scheduled to remain in place until September 2014. Because
of the unexpected savings, however, the 1.614 mil rate will be reduced.
Long County Finance Director Bridget Welch said that the change will be reflected on the next batch of tax bills.
“On a $70,000 home, the bill is around $960 annually,” she said. “With this mil rate decrease, that bill would be about $50 less, or about a 5 percent savings. Another good point is that this rate was initially scheduled to go until 2014, so this savings will add up.”
Though the decrease is good news, Welch emphasized the removal of the levy is separate from the proposed maintenance and operation levy, which was 13.5 last year and is likely to remain the same for the time being.
Other Long County BoE news:
• The board voted to use Buckley and Associates as the architectural firm for a new high school
building.
• Waters presented the school system’s new non-resident student board policy for the board to review. According to Waters, the policy will be presented again at the September meeting.
• Based on the recommendation of BoE Chairman Dempsey Golden, the board decided Golden and Waters will work with the Georgia School’s Board Association to gather information to help the BoE become a board of distinction.
• Assistant Superintendent Dr. Glenn Purcell recognized Kimberly Cason as the system’s teacher of the year.

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