Hale Said Property Tax Rates Best A Local Decision

State Representative Michael Hale said he does not foresee the legislature passing a proposed bill limiting how much property taxes can be raised in a year.

Hale said there was much discussion surrounding the bill during this year’s session. Proposed limits ranged from two to seven percent. He said at the end of the day, the decision seems to best be a local one.

“The question kind of comes to: do we want to take that control from our local leaders?” Hale said. “They know what’s needed, you know? And if they have a building project, they have a major, if they’re building a jail, a school, whatever, and they need to raise, then they they would have that.”

Hale said he sent a survey to over 4,000 people in the 40th district and the response showed a nearly even split between people who did and did not want the matter left up to local government.

“I am very much about our locals having local control,” Hale said. “They know what they need to fund their county, and every county’s different. So I think it’s something that we have to look the whole picture and – and see, you know, if there’s an overall average.”

Hale said citizens also have an important place in the management of their local government.

“That county commission, that county mayor, their local people are duly elected, just as myself and anyone else,” Hale said. “If they don’t like the way the money’s being handled, the way things are being done, they can vote them out at any election. So hold these people accountable, and as – that’s the way the process works.”

Hale said there will likely be a new bill next year meant to establish some sort of limit. He said any similar bill should be done incrementally to prevent property taxes from being raised by a large amount at one time.

“I’m very big about getting the input back of our people because, at the end of the day, that’s who I am,” Hale said. “I’m their voice in Nashville.”