SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield City Council and mayor announced Thursday that they intend to increase the property taxes they will levy this year by 5.22 percent over the rollback millage rate.

The 2019 tax digest increase is due to new or improved properties and not an increase of the City of Springfield millage rate. The City of Springfield has maintained the same tax levy millage rate for the past four years (4.80 mills).

When the total digest of taxable property is prepared., Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year's digest that last year's millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.

The budget adopted by the Springfield City Council and mayor requires a millage rate higher than the rollback millage rate. Therefore, before a final millage rate can be set, Georgia law requires three public hearings to be held to allow the public an opportunity to express its opinions on the increase.

All concerned citiezens are invited to the public hearings in council chambers, 130 S. Laurel St. on Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Aug. 13 at 6 p.m.