The Rome City Commission will consider a tax increase this year — increased to 26.15 mills from 24.42 mills in 2009 — during a series of public meetings next month.

City Manager John Bennett shared the proposal with members of the finance committee Wednesday following a request for money from Rome City Schools Superintendent Gayland Cooper. Cooper and several school board members presented their $17.79 million local budget to the committee, detailing the majority of the costs line by line.

Bennett’s proposal includes a city tax rate increase of 0.18 mills and a school tax rate increase of 1.55 mills. The combined increase from 24.42 mills to 26.15 mills would mean the owners of a house with a fair market value of $100,000 would see an increase of approximately $67 on their 2010 tax bill, Bennett said.

Bennett said the increases are required because of two reasons: the state government has cut its contribution to the school system’s budget by $1.4 million for the coming school year, and both the city school and city tax digest have shrunk. The city school digest has decreased by 3.26 percent and the city digest has decreased by 2.85 percent.

“I just want you to know, even with the projections here, we’re still going to have to work to cut expenses,” Bennett told members of the city finance committee, adding that the city has been forced to dip into its fund balance the past three years.

“The last three years we’ve actually spent more money than we took in,” he said.

School system officials asked for an additional $999,349 in local spending for 2011 compared to 2010, but 2010’s allocation was $407,610 less than 2009’s plan.

So for 2011, RCS is seeking a $591,739 increase compared to the request from 2009. Cooper pointed out that the school system has cut or simply not refilled jobs in an effort to cut costs; meanwhile, the system has suffered $12.7 million in state cuts since 2003.

“Overall, I am very satisfied that we have done a good job of saving money,” said Cooper.

Bennett compared setting the millage rate to working a complicated algebra equation where the only variable available is the amount of money needed to pay the bills. Some other factors, such as collection percentage, have to be guessed at. Ultimately, officials use the tax digest, recent history and mathematics to figure what the tax rate needs to be to cover its costs.

Bennet said the city government plans to advertise the proposed rate and public hearings in the coming weeks, likely in the June 27 issue of the Rome News-Tribune. Once that rate is publicly announced, it cannot be increased. It could, however, potentially be decreased.

The City Commission will next meet July 6 at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the tax rate, followed by a July 13 meeting at 11:30 a.m., and a July 19 meeting at 6:30 p.m. Commissioners are scheduled to set the final rate during that last hearing. All meetings are open to the public.

Click here to read a previous story about the school budget.