BENTON, Ark. — The month of November means election season, which often brings votes on a millage increase.
So to get down to the basics, we spoke to Saline County Communications Director Trevor Villines to learn more.
“A millage is basically a measure we use to determine how much property tax to levy," Villines explained.
Those taxes can range from a variety of things, including cities, counties, and school districts. Villines said that while the numbers can get a little confusing, there’s a good way to break them down.
“A mill is 1-1,000th of a dollar. So, 1 mil would be .001, 10 mills would be .01, and 50 mills would be .05," he described.
In fact, for residents of Saline County, there's an easy way to check the numbers depending on what town you live in.
“We’ve got a nifty tool on our website. If you go to salinecollector.ar.gov, we’ve actually got a rate sheet that breaks it down for every city, every school, and of course us here in Saline County," Villines added.
The last bit of advice Villines offered was to make sure you do your research before hitting the polls, so you know exactly what you’re voting for.
“Find out what the mill is. Whether they are trying to keep it or raise it too, or even lower it. Find out the facts about it," he said.