TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - The Tift County Board of Education (BOE) approved the Final Consolidated Budget for the fiscal year 2026.

According to a release, the budget will provide Tift County taxpayers with property tax relief in the coming year.

The approved budget will take effect on July 1. It is based on a reduction in local tax revenue for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, the release said.

Tift County Schools Superintendent Natalie Gore said that the reduction is tied to an anticipated rollback in millage rates.

“Over the last 12 months, Tift’s Board of Education has heard from our community about the impact the 2024 property tax revaluations has had on families, seniors, farmers and business owners. Armed with new legislation from Atlanta, the Board has voted to reduce revenue generated from local taxpayers for FY26 below the anticipated rollback requirement. In short, the Board of Education has committed to a significant tax reduction for Tift County citizens with this budget.”

According to the release, Tift County Schools is preparing for a lower revenue year, which will be driven by the expectation that the board will set a millage rate lower than the rollback rate.

“The final millage rate cannot be set until we receive the official tax digest from the Tift County Tax Commissioner’s office, which is anticipated to be available in September or October,” said Renee Guess, Chief Financial Officer.

At that time, Tift County citizens can expect to see a millage rate set by the Board of Education that reduces local property tax revenues by approximately $3.2 million, the release said.

“The school system remains committed to maintaining high-quality educational programs and services for students while being fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of the taxpayers in the community. The Board of Education will utilize some of its reserve fund balance to offset the planned reduction in local tax revenue for the 2025-2026 school year. The adopted budget anticipates utilizing the system’s fund balance, which will leave the school system with approximately 14.9 million dollars in reserve fund balance or roughly 1.9 months of operating expenses.”

Below is the newly adopted Tift County Schools budget:

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.