Property Tax Rate To Possibly Go Upwards 16 Cents

Just two more planned recessed Commission meetings are left before the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget's appropriations and tax levy are expected to be overall approved. The County Commission continued their recessed meetings during the month of August for the fifth recess and sixth overall. The Commission has been going department by department and making changes or approving budget requests. Most of the additional monies are for raises for non state mandated employees including the sheriff's deputies and correctional officers.
The Commission approved the budgets of the jail and the ambulance as well as the highway department, education debt service and general debt service funds rounding out the rest of the necessary budgeted items.
Next they looked at the tax levy which would need a 16 cents increase in order to fund all the new expenditures. That 16 cents would be put in the general fund bringing the tax rate up to $2.5489 from the current $2.3839
The Commission will give it one last go around Thursday at 5:30. Next Tuesday August 27th, they will take a final vote on the budget with a public hearing called by Commissioner Kim Davenport beforehand giving the opportunity for citizens of the county to come out and voice their opinion.