A keen-eyed resident caught a critical oversight during Monday’s Rome City Commission meeting, prompting the city to schedule a second vote on its 2025 property tax rate.
To view Swanson speaking to the Commission click link below
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The issue stemmed from a technical error in the city’s required public notice: the millage rate advertisement included only five years of tax history, instead of the six mandated by state law. As a result, the Commission’s vote to adopt the 2025 millage rate will have to be repeated after another round of public hearings in August.
The error might have gone unnoticed if not for local resident Mark Swanson, who raised the issue during the final public hearing on July 28. Swanson brought documentation showing that the year 2020 had been omitted from the required tax history.
City Manager Sammy Rich confirmed the mistake the following day. He said he consulted both the Floyd County Tax Assessor’s office and the Georgia Department of Revenue—agencies that had also reviewed the tax templates but did not initially catch the error.
Though the oversight was minor, it renders the initial vote invalid under state law. Rich emphasized that the city is committed to transparency and accountability and will correct the issue promptly.
The city will re-advertise the corrected tax history and hold an additional public hearing before voting again in August.
The public is encouraged to attend and participate in the meeting.
