White County residents upset with the County Commission’s proposed budget which raises the property tax rate to $1.57.
The proposed budget includes an increase of some $3.6 million in expenditures, with some $2.2 million going to a 15 percent pay raise for county employees. Resident Denise Daniels said high property values and the lack of industry in White County puts a larger financial burden on the people.
“Think about trying to bring some industry in here to try to help fund some of this,” Daniels said. “You could get major money from industry, and we have none. That’s why we all go to Cookeville for everything.”
Meghan Star owns The Bakery at 1871. Star said she moved to White County four years ago, and her property value increased 87 percent after reappraisal. Star said her bakery is on the same property, meaning it is taxed higher. Star said nobody would want to pay the proposed tax rates to live in White County.
“I work 18 to 22 hours a day, six days a week,” Star said. “And on that seventh day, I go to Costco in another county to buy ingredients. While I have a massive amount of compassion for employees of the county getting what they are due, the rest of us are not. The retired people aren’t getting a 15 percent increase to pay these taxes. The business owners that are fighting every day in this city and this county to be able to make it and keep our doors open. You have no idea of the fight we go through behind those doors just to keep them open.”
White County underwent reappraisal this year and many residents said their properties doubled in value. Some residents said they doubted their properties were worth what they were appraised for, due to old buildings, sinkholes, and areas where flooding is common.
Residents echoed a desire for more transparency in the budget. Resident Chrystal Templeton said she could not find budget information from previous years or the current bylaws.
“All the other counties have it on their website,” Templeton said. “I can go to Murfreesboro city right now and see exactly what they’ve spent, what the police department spent. I can see every bit of that online. We have capabilities to do that, so I’m not sure why we’re not putting that back out there.”
The new property tax rate will have $1.16 per $100 go to the general fund, and 36 cents to the school system. Two cents will be allocated for capital funding, and three cents will go to the highway department. No property tax revenue will be allocated for debt services.
In addition to employee raises and the new property tax rate, the proposed budget includes $59,890 for a new EMA Director, $60,000 for a full time Parks and Recreation Director, and $45,000 for an Office Assistant.
The Sheriff’s Department will receive some $116,000 for new deputies, with additional funding for law enforcement vehicles. Two EMS vehicle remounts are budgeted at $250,000.
The proposed budget will get a first reading June 16.
