Roswell homeowners will pay about $57 more per year in city property taxes after the City Council voted 4-2 Monday, Sept. 28, to set the 2026 millage rate at 5.232 mills.

The rate is well below the 7.732 mills Mayor Mary Robichaux proposed Sept. 2 and lower than the 5.9-mill starting point the council set Sept. 14. Twenty-nine residents spoke before the vote, which stretched the meeting past 11 p.m. 

Council members Christine Hall, Jennifer Phillippi, Allen Sells and Chris Zack voted yes. Council members Sarah Beeson and Eren Brumley voted no. Sells made the motion; Hall seconded. 

The new rate breaks down to 4.049 mills for maintenance and operations, unchanged from 2025, and 1.183 mills for debt service. The debt-service increase, from 0.9 mills in 2025, is required under the terms of the city's 2022 voter-approved bond program, as first reported by Appen Media.

For the owner of a $500,000 home, the annual city tax bill will be about $1,046 before exemptions. That is roughly $4.75 more per month than the 2025 rate of 4.949 mills.

Finance Director Adam Novotney told the council the city holds $40.6 million in reserves as of June 30, 2026, though that figure is unaudited. A city ordinance requires keeping $25.7 million in the general fund reserve. After earmarks for capital projects, a contingency fund, possible merit raises and prior-year purchases, about $6.5 million is not set aside for any purpose. 

Novotney said the city is on track to finish 2026 at or below budget and would likely be able to shift some budgeted funds to future capital projects.

"We can't just clap our hands and move on from this," Councilmember Zack said at the meeting. He added that he would prefer addressing these budget items as part of the 2027 budget discussion. 

Councilmember Sells argued the reserves would hold steady, saying the mayor characterized investment growth as drawing down reserves but that the actual investment returns would leave the balance essentially unchanged. 

Lisa Smith, a 43-year Roswell resident, urged the council not to delay spending. She said deferred maintenance on the City Hall roof is now costing $5 million more than it would have a decade ago.

Deborah Zink, a 40-year resident, pushed back. She said a tax increase should come only after new city leaders complete a full budget review and called on the mayor to "save some money, return some money to the reserves and then tell your people what you've done for them, not what you've done to them." 

Fulton County District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne also spoke, saying a property tax increase should be a last resort and noting the combined burden of city, county and school taxes on residents with fixed incomes.

The council also unanimously approved two fire station construction contracts on its consent agenda. Spratlin Construction will build Fire Station No. 27 for $8,475,514, with total project authorization of $9,147,986. The same contractor will handle Fire Station No. 23 under a construction-manager-at-risk contract for $7,148,320, with project authorization of $7,873,177. 

Property tax bills will be mailed in mid-October, with payment due 60 days from the mailing date. Late fees begin Jan. 1, 2027. The next council committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13.