As the budget committee prepares to go back to work on the White County budget, Commission Chair Derrick Hutchings said reappraisal has been the biggest challenge.
Hutchings said many White County residents saw their home values jump some 80 to 90 percent or more. Combine that with a tax increases and many residents have been upset.
“It’s a big shot in the arm to the constituents, to the people of White County,” Hutchings said. “That’s the big concern they have, it’s how much are their taxes going to go up. And that’s the biggest hurdle, really, with trying to get the budget passed.”
The property tax rate did not pass at the June 16 meeting. If it had passed, Hutchings said the county might have gone several more years without another increase.
Hutchings said a county sales tax increase proposed over the last few years to combat rising inflation, but the increase did not pass. Hutchings said White County could have generated an additional $1 million in revenue with a sales tax increase.
“The only way we can make a large movement in the $1.57 scale is either reducing the number of new employees and with pay decreases in the proposed increases by the department heads,” Hutchings said.
Hutchings said the Sheriff’s Department requested four new deputies. The ambulance service requested four new team members, a secretary, and an office assistant. Hutchings said the county was exploring converting the EMS director to a full time position, and hiring a grant writer for the county executive.
“We have a lot of ability to draw grants,” Hutchings said. “A grant writer for the county would be beneficial to take care of mainly the paperwork that’s needed, and to be able to go out and search and find additional grants that we’re missing out on.”
Hutchings said some cuts were made to those requests entering the $1.57 proposal, including two sheriff’s deputies and two EMS employees. Hutchings said the other departments will need to be evaluated for potential cuts too.
Hutchings said the budget committee has a good working relationship, but the non-committee members need to provide input to get a budget finalized. Hutchings said the budget is unlikely to pass until after the new fiscal year begins on July 1, but he hopes to see it get done by the end of the month.
The budget needs to be approved by the budget committee before it is advertized in the newspaper and brought to the full Commission.
