ALTO, Ga. — After weeks of debate and three required public hearings, the Alto Town Council is scheduled to meet tonight, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. to set the town’s millage rate.
The decision follows weeks of public discussion over whether to restore the millage rate to its 2016 level of 6.2 mills or to adopt a smaller increase to 5.28 mills. Both options represent a property-tax hike, which prompted multiple hearings earlier this month.
During the final hearing last week, Mayor Gail Armour and Finance Officer Lisa Turner detailed the town’s financial challenges. Turner said the millage rate has declined steadily over the past decade — from 6.20 mills between 2013 and 2018, to 5.58 mills through 2021, and 4.37 mills since 2023 — creating a widening gap between expenses and revenue.
Turner estimated the town’s general-fund deficit at about $89,000 as of Aug. 31, though she expects the shortfall to narrow to between $15,000 and $18,000 by year’s end after accounting for capital projects. She attributed the strain to reduced sales tax and probation revenues and the expiration of federal COVID relief funds.
The council delayed its vote last week after Turner was unable to finish a draft of the 2026 budget in time for review. Several members, including Councilman Allen Fox, said they were unwilling to set a tax rate without seeing the full financial picture.
Tonight’s meeting will give the council its first look at the budget draft and the opportunity to vote on both measures before the state’s Nov. 1 submission deadline.
The October 28 called Alto Town Council meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the city’s town hall at 186 Wade Street.
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