One mill tax hike defeated

It’s the duty of the Oconee County Council to approve tax millage and the duty of the county auditor to set that millage. And last night the council rejected the recommendation of Auditor Ken Nix to add one mill to the formula for calculating what taxpayers must pay for real estate, industry, and personal property. Councilmen expressed worry that uncertainty over state aid and a decline in this year’s assessment covering Duke Energy’s holdings are complicating Oconee County’s financial picture. School leaders supported the additional mill. After last night’s meeting Rosemary Bailes, the school trustee for District Two, recalled to 96.3/WGOG NEWS some old time advice when asked what the schools will have to do to overcome its budget problem. And that is, she said, “Do the best we can with what we have to do with.”