Lavonia Looking at Sluggish Tax Digest for FY13
Another year of slow economic growth for the City of Lavonia is being blamed for just a moderate rise in the FY13 tax digest.
This fiscal year, Lavonia expects to receive just over $806-thousand dollars in property tax revenue, up only about $30-thousand from fiscal 2012.
“Through the past several years, the county has had to revamp their tax digest downward,” said Lavonia City Manager Gary Fesperman. “We’ve not had a lot of real growth or inflationary growth in the tax digest over the past few years and all cities statewide are suffering because their tax revenues are down. This year, it’s up just a little bit from it what it was last year, but it’s nto anywhere near what it was in 2010, we’re off considerably.”
In 2010, the city received over $903-thousand in property tax revenue, but since then, one large manufacturer closed, taking with it the extra property tax revenue along with water revenue.
This year, one major new business opened, J Peters restaurant. Fesperman said the city continues to work towards attracting new businesses around the I-85/Exit 173 area and it’s hoped that will help improve the tax digest.
“The Hampton (Inn) is pretty close to being ready,” Fesperman said. “That’s going to be a $6-million investment. There are several other folks that are looking to invest and by the end of the year we’re looking to have a pretty good year up on the interchange.”
This time last summer, Lavonia was celebrating the opening of the new Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center. However, Fesperman said it will be some time before property tax revenue is realized from that project.
Lavonia’s fiscal year begins January 1st. Fesperman said he expects most of the property tax revenue for fiscal 2013 will be collected before the end of the fiscal year.
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