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23-cent property tax hike likely
September 14, 2006
HUNTSVILLE — After an exhausting, five-hour, page by page review of the proposed county budget here Thursday night, a majority of commissioners indicated that they would probably vote in favor of a 23-cent hike in the property tax rate this year.
The budget is expected to come before the commission for a formal vote on Monday, September 18 and, if the increase is approved, it would mark the first time in seven years the property rate has gone up.
All 14 members of the commission were present for what would normally have been a work session of standing committees. But the committee work was completed in short order and the entire commission discussed the budget from shortly after 7 p.m. until just before midnight.
County Mayor Rick Keeton issued an apology to the six new and eight continuing commissioners for having “to jam so much on you” in a single meeting, but said the budget making process required it.
Keeton added that he did not feel there was “a lot of fluff” in this year’s budget, pointing out that 63% of local funds go to salaries of county employees.
Budget Committee Chairman Jeff Watson pointed out that his three-member committee had met several times on the new fiscal year budget and it had been a difficult process to come up with what amounts to a proposed 10% increase this year.
Watson told the commissioners to keep in mind that the budget as proposed includes a $2.8 million fund balance (money received for the lease of the Scott County Hospital). Despite the temptation to dip into that fund to lower the tax rate, Watson urged them to leave it alone. He reasoned that the money in the fund balance could be used to pay initial expenses on the jail/justice center complex. Over the next few years, he said, much of the county’s long term debt will be paid off and when the jail/justice center’s bond is issued, “it might not be such a big impact” on taxpayers.
The budget being proposed is based on a 59¢ tax rate for the County General Fund (up from 55¢ a year ago), a 36¢ rate for the General Debt Service (up from 28¢), a 56¢ rate for Rural School Debt Service (down from 57¢), and $1.12 for the General Purpose School Fund (up from $1.00).
That all adds up to a $2.63 per $100 assessed value property tax rate, up from the previous seven-year tax rate of $2.40, Watson said.
It was pointed out during the lengthy budget discussions that the school system was asking for a $1.19 tax rate this year “just to meet the state-mandated Maintenance of Effort.” But Watson said the proposed budget “meets the bottom line,” adding that that’s what the state requires. “Maintenance of effort is a dollar amount,” Watson said, “not a tax rate.”
Watson also informed his fellow commissioners that of the state’s 95 counties, Scott County’s property tax rate “is dead in the middle,” and that 55 of the state’s counties have a wheel tax to supplement funds collected from property tax. He also pointed out that in 69 counties in Tennessee, a penny on the tax rate brings in more money than in Scott County.
Near the end of the discussion, Watson said that while “we can’t take a vote tonight,” he would like to get a consensus of the commission. As he polled the commissioners, eight of the 13 who were present at that time indicated they would in all likelihood vote for the projected increase. Those not commenting or expressing reservations about voting for the 23¢ tax rate increase this year were Joel Newport, Leonard Bertram, Mike Slaven, Clyde Zachary and Willie Boyatt. Indicating that they would probably vote for the increase were Jeff Watson, Rothel “Tub” Cross, Ron Blevins, Gerry Garrett, Paul Stunk, Ernest Phillips, Dennis Sexton and Alan Reed. Not present at the time was Commissioner Odeva Byrd.
Not included in the proposed budget, but a topic discussed in detail during an earlier committee meeting was newly-elected Sheriff Anthony Lay’s request for new patrol cars and county-owned handguns for his officers.
Sheriff Lay, who appeared before a 5 p.m. meeting of the commission’s Emergency Services Committee, asked for 10 patrol cars (all of which “don’t have to be brand new”), and “30 to 31” .45 caliber Glock handguns.
After much discussion about both the vehicles and the handguns, the committee voted to authorize the County Finance Director to work up the specifications and put them to bid. The committee also voted to put any and all unused vehicles of the Sheriff’s Department in a surplus property sale.
Other needs of the Sheriff’s Department revealed by Lay Thursday night include additional funds to send new deputies to the state police academy for training, and new bullet-proof vests for each member of his force.
Sheriff Lay said that he was currently operating with a reduced number of officers and would soon be hiring seven or eight deputies, one jailer and one school resource officer. He also informed the committee that he planned to have a minimum of two court officers present in the courthouse for security purposes at all times when court was in session. Those officers will utilize the security measures already in place in the courthouse, adding that each person entering the courtroom would have to pass through a security screen.
news@ihoneida.com
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