Savannah City Council voted, 6-3, this evening to approve a millage rate of 12.2, which is the city’s lowest millage rate since 1987. This rate will reduce property taxes for most of the 19,096 Stephens-Day exemption qualified households. The new adopted rate is above the rollback rate but reduces the current tax rate by more than half a mill, saving taxpayers a collective $3.2 million and providing taxpayers with needed relief. 

The amount above the rollback, in part, will be used to implement major public safety pay increases aimed at addressing long-term recruitment and retention initiatives. The pay increases will adjust starting pay for positions in the Savannah Police and Fire departments from entry-level through middle management, with the minimum pay rate increasing to $48,000 for Savannah Fire and $50,000 for Savannah Police. These increases are both up from a current starting salary of approximately $44,000. 

“I applaud the members of council for reducing city taxes to the lowest level since 1987 while making substantial investments in public safety to help us retain and recruit police officers and firefighters,” said Mayor Van R. Johnson, II. “We must be competitive and we aim to lead the pack.”

Georgia law required the city to advertise the adopted rate of 12.2 as a tax “increase” since the rollback rate was not proposed for adoption. While the anticipated revenues derived from this rate are higher than the rollback rate, the adopted rate itself was reduced from 2021, as seen in the chart below. The adopted millage rate of 12.2 mills represents the lowest tax rate since 1987.