COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County Schools officials will seek to adopt the same millage rate as last year to fund the district’s budget for fiscal year 2023.

The school system’s annual budget, which was adopted June 21 and totaled $217 million, was based on a tax digest of $4.2 billion and a total millage rate of 18.288 mills — 18.288 mills to be earmarked for the district’s operational budget and zero mills for debt service.

The millage rate proposed for FY2023 is the same rate that was adopted last year.

Although the annual budget does not reflect a millage rate increase, legislation states that if the M&O millage rate is not reduced by the same percentage that the digest increased due to reassessment, (17.87%), the public must be notified that the Board is increasing taxes. 

Because the annual budget adopted by the Newton County Board of Education requires a millage rate higher than the rollback rate, Georgia law requires three public hearings to be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase. 

Residents are invited to attend and participate in one or all of three public hearings on the matter, which are scheduled for Monday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, July 26, at 9 a.m. and Tuesday, July 26, at 5 p.m. 

All meetings will take place in the E. Wendell Clamp Board Room at the Newton County Board of Education Administrative Offices located at 2109 Newton Drive in Covington.