News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Some Dekalb County residents have started a petition to force a referendum on a $65 million bond initiative passed by County Commissioners.
The money would go to construction of a judicial center and jail. Attorney Jon Slager is a former resident of DeKalb County and he is assisting with the petition. Slager said some citizens who have signed the petition either want the bond amount lowered significantly or do not want the bond at all.
“I think the $65 million bond is concerning to them because that’s a 30-year note,” Slager said. “$65 million dollars is a lot of money for a county with twenty-some-odd thousand people, that’s more money than most people can even fathom borrowing.”
The petition requires at least ten percent of the registered voters to sign it. It must be submitted to the Dekalb County Court Clerk within the next 20 days.
Slager said if the petition was successful the referendum would be on the ballot at the November Election.
“People of DeKalb County if this works, and the petition is successful,” Slager said. “They would then be voting on a $50 wheel tax or not, and do you want a $65 million bond issued or not.”
Slager said the petition could not directly do anything about the wheel tax and 51-cent tax levy increase.
“There’s nothing in this petition that can be done to change that at least for this year,” Slager said. “So from July 1st to the end of June of 2025 that will be the tax rate for the citizens of DeKalb County. However, if this bond issue is put on a ballot and is voted down for example then the county commissioners have to come back and say hey look we raised taxes for the purpose of funding the bond, the bonds are dead, what’s the right thing to do? And the commissioners I have spoken to, are essentially saying look we would reduce the tax rate back.”
The petition must have all signatures, electronic signatures do not count. Slager said several booths were opened over the weekend to give the public the chance to sign.
“There are all kinds of stuff on Facebook, I don’t know if you live in DeKalb County if you can get on Facebook and not see something about the petition,” Slager said. “So I strongly encourage folks if they want to sign it, reach out to somebody on Facebook there are petitions floating around, if not I’m sure there are people that will get you one and let you get signed up.”
