RINGGOLD _ The Catoosa County Board of Commissioners is recommending a rollback of the property tax rate in advance of its public hearing to discuss the proposed fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget on Thursday, August 12 at 5:30 p.m., to be held in the Administrative Building Meeting Room, 800 Lafayette Street in Ringgold.

For the fair market value of an average county home of $175,000, a homeowner would see a 9.08% reduction of their Catoosa County property taxes (assuming no change in assessed value) based on the Board of Commissioners recommendation of a general maintenance and operation millage rate rollback to 5.835. The 2020 rate is 6.418

As mandated by Georgia state law, the proposed FY 2022 budget is balanced for the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds, and the Capital Projects Funds. The proposed General Fund Budget is $32,386,207, an increase of 2.56% ($809,000) over the previous year after excluding a $6.3-million transfer to the Capital Projects Fund. Projected revenue increased by $809,000. The budget includes the collective input from all county department heads, elected officials, and outside agencies.

The proposed FY 2022 budget includes the Special Revenue, Capital Projects and Enterprise funds. Special Revenue funds are used to account for financial resources that are legally or administratively restricted for special purposes, the two largest being are the Fire and Rescue Fund and the E911 Fund. Capital Projects Funds are used for the acquisition and/or construction of capital assets other than those financed by other funds, with the two largest being the 2019 SPLOST Fund and the new Capital Projects Fund. Enterprise Funds are used to account for all county operations that are financed on a self-supporting basis, the largest being the Solid Waste Management Fund. 

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to adopt the FY 2022 proposed budget on Friday, August 20 at 10:00 a.m. in the Administrative Building Meeting Room, 800 Lafayette Street in Ringgold.