Taxing Districts
Taxing districts are geographic areas of the county in which property taxes are levied at the same rate. Each of the incorporated cities in Columbia County is a taxing district.

In an unincorporated area of the county, the millage levy includes the rates levied by the Columbia County Commission, the Columbia County School Board, and the South Florida Water Management District.

Inside each city, the millage levy includes these same rates, plus the millage rate levied by that respective City Commission.

Millage Rates
Taxing authorities levy annual taxes on the taxable property in their jurisdictions. The rate at which a taxing authority levies tax is usually expressed in mils. "One mil" represents a rate of 0.001, and can be confusing if millage is confused with millage rate. The easiest way to think of millage is in "dollars per thousand"; that is, a rate of one mil is equal to one dollar of tax for each 1000 dollars of taxable value. The following example may be helpful.

For example, if a taxing authority levies 10 mils on $1000 of taxable value, the millage levy would be expressed as "10 mils". The millage rate is calculated as 0.010 (0.001 x 10) and the amount of tax on each $1000 would the be $1000 x 0.010 = $10.00. This means that "10 mils" generates $10 of tax revenue for each $1000 of taxable value.

Millage rates are set each year during the budget hearings held by each of the taxing authorities. Two public hearings are held each year, usually July through September, at which time budgets and tax rates are set. The meetings are advertised and are open to the public.