News 12 at 11 o'clock-- November 6, 2009

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The Richmond County School System is looking into pulling the tax exemption from seniors to try to make up for millions of dollars in budget cuts.

This is one of many ideas that were looked at in a breakfast between Richmond County School officials and state legislators.

The idea would change the tax system which currently states everyone in Richmond County over the age of 65 is tax exempt from their school taxes through their property taxes, said spokesman Louis Svehla.

The plan though is only an idea, he said, but if it does pass it would have to go through public forum and wouldn't effect current seniors.

"If it were grandfathered in," he said. "It would be people who are then turning 65."

The idea could provide millions of dollars to help the school system get out of their deep budget hole, said Svehla.

"Anything would help out money wise," he said. "It's that dire right now with all the money we are getting cut from the state."

Jay McCracken of Augusta said it's a double edge sword because both schools and seniors need money in tough times.

"If you worked hard your entire life to make money then you should be able to keep it," he said, but then said. "I don't know how fair it is for any group to be exempt from (paying the school tax)."

Especially since everyone under 65 including him has to pay the school tax, he said.

Columbia County seniors already pay the school tax, but Tom Batchelor of Columbia County doesn't think it should change things in Richmond County.

"They've (seniors in Richmond County) paid it their whole life," Batchelor said. "They've earned their keep."

Columbia County seniors know in advance they will be paying school tax and Richmond County seniors expect not to be paying school taxes because it has been planned that way, Batchelor said.

This idea is only an idea in effort to get more local funding which can't be taken from the school system by the state, Svehla said.

Richmond County's school system gets just a little more than 20 percent of their funding from local funds whereas Columbia County gets almost 50 percent.

One senior told News 12 it's already hard enough for seniors so this would make it harder, but Svehla said if it did pass they might look at different tax exemptions for seniors with different incomes.