AM850.com

Yesterday the The School Board of Alachua County approved advertising reduced property tax rates for schools for the 2008 to 2009 fiscal year. The proposed rate would be slightly less than the current rate.

So how do millage rates work? One mill of tax revenue is a dollar per thousand of assessed value on a house. Assistant Superintendent for Planning and Budget Keith Birkett says that means if you have one mill applied to a thousand-dollar home, that one mill would generate one hundred dollars of tax revenue.

Birkett explains what implications of the school board's proposed millage rate will have for Gainesville residents if approved.

But Birkett says Florida's Truth in Millage law will require the district to advertise the proposed tax rate as if it were a tax increase.He explains why the county is having to advertise the new millage rate as such.

But that doesn't mean all Gainesville residents will necessarily be paying less....

Birkett says the proposed millage rate will substantially help the School board deal with some burget and program reduction it has made across the board.

The County will vote on the proposed millage rate in November.