The Richmond County tax digest shrank over the past year, ending an upward trend that had characterized the latter part of the decade.

But a city official doesn't expect the decrease to affect property owners.

The assessed (40 percent) gross value of taxable property, including real estate and personal property, dropped from $5.11 billion last year to $5.09 billion this year -- a decrease of 0.35 percent.

After exemptions, the city's net assessed value -- the figure that the millage will be applied to -- decreased 0.75 percent.

From 2007 to 2008, the digest grew 5 percent, up from $4.86 billion. It had risen 6 percent from 2006 to 2007 after several years of sluggish growth.

Chief Appraiser Calvin Hicks attributed this year's loss to the poor economy and new legislation that had assessors taking into account foreclosures, bank sales and resales by lending institutions. In previous years, those were considered sales under duress and weren't factored when assigning values to comparable properties.

Earlier this year, Mr. Hicks reported a $24 million net gain in the taxable real estate value, but at that point he hadn't yet tallied personal property, which includes motor vehicles, mobile homes, aircraft, timber and heavy equipment.

City Administrator Fred Russell said he doesn't believe the digest loss will be enough to require a tax increase.

"At the moment, I don't plan on proposing one," he said. "I'm not worried."

Mr. Russell said a loss that small can be made up for through tight budget management and savings from the drop in gas prices since last year.

"I don't think we budgeted for a lot of growth," the administrator said.

As for Richmond County schools, where about 60 percent of local taxes go, the system maxed out its millage last year, and the school board approved a $256 million budget last month that managed to overcome a projected $24.5 million shortfall without any layoffs.

Controller Gene Spires said late Wednesday that he had just received the digest figures from Mr. Hicks and hadn't had time to process them.

"The best information I can give you at this time is that it is far better for the tax digest to show growth than it is for it to decrease," he said in an e-mail. "We had anticipated that at worst the digest would stay flat.

"As you may know the school system's tax cap is a calculated one," he said. "We budgeted local tax revenue at the tax cap for (fiscal year) 2009. We estimated the local tax revenue for (the fiscal year) 2010 to be at the tax cap as well. Without having made the calculations, I cannot tell you positively the millage rate change if any."

Even if both millages don't change this year, Augusta tax bills could still be higher, even for properties whose assessed value didn't increase. The state has discontinued the homeowner tax-relief grants, and if Augusta's final disbursement has to be applied to last year's finances, this year's taxes will be $293 higher for urban taxpayers and $241 higher for suburban taxpayers.

On May 8 the Board of Assessors mailed 26,242 notices to property owners -- 16,860 saying values dropped, 8,551 saying values went up and 831 for new parcels.

Mr. Hicks said 637 appeals were filed totaling $89 million, which is below the amount that would keep the state from approving the digest.