Adams County residences and business owners will not get a tax increase this year from the Natchez-Adams County School District.

Because of a higher than estimated increase in this year’s tax rolls, the school board voted Thursday to amend its earlier request for a .59 millage increase.

&uot;We are going back to the exact same rate,&uot;&160;said Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis.

The district originally thought it would need the tax increase to pay off an old debt. Now, the district will be able to pay the debt plus plus earn an additional $55,192 without raising the millage, Davis said.

The school district originally thought it needed increase taxes after estimating that the county would only have $3 million in growth to the tax roll this year.

But that number turned out to be around $6 million, said Reynolds Atkins, tax assessor.

Since the district and the county do not use the same fiscal year, the district has to calculate its budget each summer before all the information on new properties is available. The tax increase would have meant a $8.85 increase per year per $100,000 home.

In other business, the board:

n Listed to a presentation of the 1998 audit report by Silas M. Simmons & Company, LLP.

n Discussed problems parents were having with this year’s dress code and ways to make it easier for parents to find the right items.

The district has formed a committee to discuss the issue and plan to have a report ready by January, Davis said.

n Heard an update on the construction projects at the schools, by Gerald Horn, director of operations. All kitchens will soon be serving hot meals.

Morgantown School’s is still waiting for a hood to be installed in its kitchen. Until it is in place, the school will serve some cold lunches and bring in hot meals three days a week, Horn said. It will be about a month before the hood is installed.