Why Marietta residents face higher taxes, plus WSB’s Doug Turnbull,

The city of Marietta and its school system announced last week that they intend to increase taxes.

Marietta said the increase will bring in $631,009 more in property taxes than what the city collected last year. Marietta City Schools is asking for $4.5 million more to run the school system.

For the city’s property tax increase, homeowners with a $250,000 home can expect an increase of $19.50 on their bill, Marietta spokeswoman Lindsey Wiles said.

Wiles said the money will go into the city’s general fund.

Marietta received $8.3 million from taxes in 2017, according to its own data provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The city’s millage rate of 2.788 dates back to 2002 and will remain the same this year, Wiles said.

A mill is one tenth of a penny, so 10 mills equals one percent of a property’s assessed value. Millage rates are calculated on 40 percent of that assessed value.

As mandated by law when there’s an increase in the millage rate, there will be public hearings in the council chamber at Marietta City Hall, 205 Lawrence St., on Tuesday at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., and another on July 17 at 9 a.m.

The Marietta City Schools millage rate has been 17.97 since 2014 and is slated to stay the same this year.

Because the school system plans to take in more money in taxes it must also hold public hearings to get input.

In its announcement, MCS said the budget adopted by Marietta’s board of education “requires” this $4.5 million increase.

Erin Franklin, chief financial officer, said the increase is needed for “salary increases for our employees, increased employee benefit costs, and additional staffing, materials and custodial support at the schools.”

The school system received just under $50 million in taxes in 2017, its data shows.

The hearings on that tax increase will be held at the Central Office Building, 250 Howard St., on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and on July 17 at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.