Roswell mayor proposes millage increase to cover $18 million in capital needs; public hearings set

Mayor Mary Robicheaux said the City of Roswell is proposing a millage increase to address near-term capital needs and deferred maintenance, and that each one-mill increase would generate "a little bit over $7,000,000." She framed the proposal as an effort to fund immediate safety and infrastructure priorities while seeking public input at multiple forums before a final council vote.

Robicheaux said state law required Roswell to publish an advertised maximum millage by Sept. 3 even though the city had not yet received the county's current tax digest, forcing staff to calculate the notice using last year's assessments. She told listeners the council must set a millage rate by Sept. 28 and plans include a state-required called meeting/public forum and additional meetings to collect feedback.

The mayor explained that bond-related millage is distinct from the city's general millage: voter-approved bonds taken in 2022 and documented in 2019/2023 paperwork preset a bond millage that begins at 0.9 and was scheduled to increase 0.3 to 1.2 under the bond documents. Robicheaux said the city also is contractually obligated to pay $3,000,000 this year for the Gateway project and that revenue from redevelopment projects will not immediately offset current needs.

Robicheaux said she proposed about $18,000,000 in near-term capital spending and deferred roughly $13,000,000 of other department requests. She described the package as the first deliberate step toward addressing broader facility and infrastructure backlogs identified in a 2024 facilities assessment.

The mayor encouraged residents to attend the scheduled public forums (including Sept. 16 at Eagle's Nest Church, East Roswell, 6:00–7:30 p.m.), to send input by email and to consult roswellconnections.com for details. The council is expected to vote on the millage on Sept. 28.