News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Putnam County Budget Committee recommended a 10-cent property tax increase for the coming year during its Monday meeting.
Five cents would go to the county general fund, and five cents go to the schools. Budget Chair Ben Rodgers said the increase is based on the new tax rate after reassessment.
“The rate is lower than it was, it was 292.6,” Rodgers said. “The certified rate went to 237.2. They proposed to take it to 247.2. So the rate is lower, but taxes will go up if this is approved.”
The committee also moved to raise the Putnam County Schools’ fixed sales tax percentage $500,000, increasing the system’s sales tax revenue allotment to $17.5 million for the year. The school system was looking to return to a percentage system for determining its percentage of sales tax revenue. The flat rate system has been in place since 2009.
Budget Committee member Mike Atwood said that he wanted to increase the school’s revenue to accommodate growth, but the impending bond issue for the new school made him hesitate on how to best achieve that.
The increase in the schools’ sales tax revenue would take them from a $2.2 million deficit to just a $600,000 deficit if the nickel increase for the schools’ property tax was approved. Director of Schools Corby King said that was a number they could work with.
“Like you all, we have some fund balance as well,” King said. “So this would close that gap enough that we would be comfortable using our fund balance to balance our budget with what’s been proposed.”
Committee member Chris Cassetty asked King if they would consider going back to edit their expenditures. King said that while he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the school board, he did not think that was an option.
The budget committee also approved putting two positions back in the budget. Both had been cut at a recent meeting. An additional firefighter and another deputy clerk for the county clerk’s office would both be funded. These new positions would increase expenditures some $80,000.
All recommendations by the budget committee will need to be approved by the full county commission.
