City Manager Robbie Rokovitz on Thursday night recommended the council "cautiously consider" setting the 2010 millage rate at 4.628 mills.
The proposed rate would qualify as a full rollback from the city's current rate of 4.629 mills. The millage rate will be officially set during a special called meeting on Oct. 5.
The owner of a $200,000 house with a standard $5,000 exemption would receive a city property tax bill of $347, about the same amount as the current rate.
"It is not a big savings," Rokovitz said. "It comes out to a dime that it could save."
Holly Springs' net maintenance and operations tax digest for 2009, which is the value of property in the city, is $346.6 million, up from just less than $345.1 million in 2008.
City residents also pay a fire tax millage of 2.742 for fire service, which is set by Cherokee County. The fire millage would add $205 to the same homeowner's bill.
The millage rate will help support the city's 2010 budget, which begins in January. The city's current general fund budget is slightly more than $4 million.
Rokovitz said he asked the council to "cautiously consider" the rollback because of a forecast of a more difficult budget year in 2010 than this year.
"We might have to get creative in our cuts," he said.
Mayor Tim Downing said the savings were "not significant," but rolling the millage rate back shows the city's desire to keep its tax burden on residents as low as possible.
"It took a lot for us to do it," he said. "It points to the city's efforts to be fiscally responsible."
During a called meeting after its work session, the council approved withdrawing its application with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to participate in the Etowah Habitat Conservation Plan, which was designed to protect wildlife in the Etowah River watershed.
Downing said he hopes the city's action will influence the fish and wildlife service to conduct an environmental impact study.
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