Eastern

Coweta County residents are probably breathing a sigh of

relief this week after several government agencies

announced their property tax rates for the next year.

Monday

afternoon, the Coweta County Board of Education announced

a drop in the tax rate of one quarter of a mill. The

school system's maintenance and operation millage remains

the same at 17.88, but the board dropped the rate on the

bond portion of the millage from 2.50 to 2.25 for a total

rate of 20.13.

A mill is

one dollar per thousand dollars of a property's assessed

value, which is 40 percent of its market value, minus any

exemptions. Generally, a mill produces about $38 in taxes

on a $100,000 home.

Later that

day, Senoia Mayor Joan Trammell announced the city's

millage rate would remain the same at 7.03 mills.

Trammell

said that, while she would have preferred to cut the

millage, several large projects, such as the city's

construction of a sewer system, would have a big impact

on the budget and she wanted to make sure the city would

have enough funds to complete it.

Finally,

Wednesday morning the Coweta County commissioners set

their rate.

Residents

in the incorporated county will see their rate drop from

6.42 mills to 6.26 mills, for a decrease of 2.49 percent.

In the unincorporated county, the residents' rate drops

2.04 percent from 5.38 mils to 5.27 mills.

"We've

cut the rate, but every year we've increased

services," Nelms said.

Value of

the county's taxable property jumped from $1.431 billion

in 1998 to $1.529 billion this year.

Since 1994,

the county has decreased the millage rate in the

incorporated area from 6.98 mills to 6.26 mills, while

residents in the unincorporated area have seen their

millage rate cut from 5.80 to 5.27.