With city offices closed today for the Independence Day holiday, the Rome City Commission has pushed back its meeting date to Tuesday.

The board is slated to hold its first public hearing on a proposed tax rate increase — and consider a recommendation to set the rental fee at $1,500 for the new ECO Center river museum at Ridge Ferry Park.

“We don’t want the ECO Center

to be a place rented for every purpose,” Assistant City Manager Sammy Rich said. “It’s a unique facility.”

The Rome Civic Center costs about $500 to rent, depending on which amenities will be used. The Rome Senior Center banquet room and kitchen runs $385 a night.

The city’s general administration committee has a special

called meeting for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to review its planned recommendation. But Commissioner Kim Canada said the $1,500 rate appears to be competitive.

“We’re already getting requests and nobody’s blinking an eye at that figure,” he said.

The commission will caucus at 11 a.m. and start its regular meeting at 11:30 a.m.

All three meetings will be in City Hall, 601 Broad St., and are open to the public.

The city’s finance committee is proposing a tax increase for this year, to 26.15 mills from 24.42 mills in 2009.

The city’s portion would rise 0.18 mills to 8.70 mills. The school tax rate would increase 1.55 mills to 17.45 mills.

City Manager John Bennett said the combined hike would add about $67 to the tax bill for a house assessed at $100,000, with the bulk going to local education.

Rome schools officials have said the state cut its funding by another $1.4 million for the coming school year. At the same time, they are facing a 3.26 percent drop in the value of property in the city that is taxable for school purposes.

Public hearings also are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. July 13 and 6:30 p.m. July 19. The City Commission plans to adopt a tax rate following the third hearing.

Click here to learn more about the agenda packet.

Click here for a list of the current millage rates levied in Georgia cities and counties.