City of Pooler votes to lower millage rate

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - The City of Pooler council adopted the full rollback millage rate for tax 2026 on Monday night, lowering it to 4.096.

The millage rate was 4.197 mills, about a 2.5% decrease.

“We’re certainly excited that our CFO and his financial team have made good decisions to have positioned us to be able to lower the millage rate,” said City Manager Heath Lloyd. “We believe that this reduction provides property tax relief to residents while ensuring the city remains well-positioned to fund essential municipal services.”

The rollback rate is designed to offset increases in assessed property values and prevent a property tax increase resulting solely from reassessment growth, according to the City of Pooler.

A large group of residents left the meeting, but Mayor Karen Williams asked them to come back in to celebrate this news.

“The City of Pooler is proud to announce that tonight council voted to adopt the full rollback millage rate of 4.096, lowered from 4.197.  This rollback will provide financial relief for our residents while still allowing the City to fulfill our operational requirements and infrastructure goals,” she wrote.

The rollback rate is intended to generate approximately the same maintenance and operations revenue from existing properties as was collected in the prior year.

“Pooler continues to experience significant residential and commercial growth, expanding the City’s tax base and helping support critical municipal services, including public safety, transportation, drainage infrastructure, parks, and recreation,” they wrote. “The adopted millage rate remains below Pooler’s 40-year historical average and reflects the City’s continued commitment to balancing the needs of a growing community with fiscal responsibility, maintaining financial stability, investing in essential services, and reducing reliance on debt financing.”