South Fulton

residents have a chance next week to voice their opinions on the county's

property tax rate.

Fulton County

commissioners recently proposed a 2001 tax rate that is less than last

year's rate, but according to the definition in state law, taxes are going

up.

That's because

the value, for taxation purposes, of most county property has increased

through reassessment, so that even though tax rates may be reduced, the

amount of money residents pay is increased.

The board approved

13.04 mills for the general fund, a reduction of .27 mills; .30 mills

for the bond fund, a reduction of .08 mills; and 4.70 mills or the Special

Services District fund, a reduction of .06 mills.

A mill is one

dollar per thousand dollars of a home's assessed value. Assessed value

is 40 percent of the market value minus any exemptions.

If the tentative

millage rates are approved, this is considered a tax increase under the

Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

When the total

digest of taxable property is prepared, Fulton officials said that Georgia

law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce

the same total revenue on the current year's new digest that last year's

millage rate would have produced had no reassessment occurred.

Consequently,

the 2001 millage rates would increase property taxes in the general fund

by 3.6 percent over the rollback millage rate, and increase the SSD fund

by 3.68 percent over the rollback millage rate.

Citizens are

invited to the public hearings, which will be in the Fulton County Government

Center assembly hall, 141 Pryor St., S.W., Atlanta next Wednesday at 10

a.m. and 6 p.m.; and Wednesday, June 20 at 10 a.m.

Residents also

can participate in the public hearings via video-conferencing. All three

sessions will be video-conferenced from the South Service Center, 5600

Stonewall Tell Road, College Park.

Georgia law

requires that three public hearings be conducted to allow the public opportunities

to express opinions on the proposed increase in property taxes.