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County tax hike passed
By a narrow 6-4 majority, Loudon County Commissioners voted
to raise the property tax rate to $1.84 per $100 of assessed
value Thursday night, as part of adopting the county budget
for this fiscal year.
This is six cents higher than last year's rate of $1.78 and
32 cents higher than the new certified rate of $1.52 adopted
this year. The jump from $1.52 to $1.84 represents a 21
percent increase.
County Mayor George Miller, who is also the chairman of the
county budget committee, said some items and projects the
budget will fund include roughly a three percent raise for
county employees; matching funds for road improvement
projects, including improvements to the Shaw Ferry/ Highway
11 intersection; and six new vehicles for the sheriff's
department, which has not gotten new cars in two years,
Miller said.
"No one likes a tax increase," Miller said. However, he
noted the county commission is charged with "doing what's
best" for county residents and urged commission to pass the
budget.
The adopted budget also gives county schools $1.6-million in
new money. More than $500,000 will go to the Lenoir City
district, the mayor said. The remainder goes to the county
system.
Commissioners voting in favor of the increase were Nancy
Marcus, David Meers, Chuck Jenkins, Bob Franke, Ed Harold
and Don Miller.
Commissioners voting against were Earlena Maples, Roy
Bledsoe, Harold Duff and Van Shaver.
It seemed nearly everyone at the Thursday night meeting had
something to say. Several citizens spoke out against the tax
hike at a public hearing immediately before commissioners
considered the tax increase.
However, several others spoke in favor of a tax increase, if
it would improve county schools and better fund other county
departments, such as the sheriff's department.
Second District Commissioner Maples said the majority of
people in her district she'd heard from were against a tax
increase. She noted commissioners understood the need to
fund education, but said they also have to consider
students' parents, who have to pay the higher taxes, as well
as senior citizens on fixed incomes, concerned about how
they'll be able to afford the medication they need.
"It's not that anybody doesn't care about children...they're
our future; of course we care. But we also care about their
families," Maples said.
Commissioner Don Miller said a 21 percent tax increase
"sounds excessive at first glance," but noted the county
"needed to look at it in perspective."
Officials pointed out the county commission has not
increased the certified tax rate in 20 years, though the
certified rate by itself has driven taxes up for some county
residents after reappraisals. Miller noted the county did
raise taxes in 1995, but lowered them in 1996.
Over the past two decades, Miller said, inflation has gone
up 80 percent, and the county has "eaten it," by dipping
into its reserves instead of raising taxes, until there is
no reserve money left.
Miller also spoke on behalf of schools.
He said the county school system started with a need for 33
more tax pennies. By themselves, they shaved that request to
21.5 cents. The commissioner said the new budget gives
schools 15 new cents, about 10 cents of which is mandated by
the state.
He and Commissioner David Meers both pointed out the federal
government's No Child Left Behind program imposes unfunded
mandates on schools.
That means the federal government raises expectations for
schools, but doesn't provide any money to cover the cost
required to meet those expectations, such as additional
teachers so classes can be made smaller.
Miller also noted last year, the county had the seventh
lowest property tax rate out of all 95 Tennessee counties.
Even with the tax increase, he said, Loudon County would
still be among the lowest 10 in the state.
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