Tag Archives: Budget

Standing room only at Jackson County’s budget hearing over concerns of the proposed 30 cent tax rate Monday night. County leaders and residents spoke for almost an hour about how the tax rate would impact them. Most residents said while they support necessary raises for the county’s employees, it is not fair to put that burden of cost on the ... Read More »

A 30-cent property tax rate is on the table for discussion in this year’s Jackson County budget. Mayor Randy Heady said the inflationary costs have skyrocketed over the last two years and it has caught up to the county. He said that paired with revenue lost due to the pandemic and a low sales ratio, something needed to be done. ... Read More »

City of Smithville’s new fiscal year budget includes a new police officer and a new full-time firefighter. City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson said that was one of the big asks from those two departments. He said the additional personnel will serve as a huge boost to the city. “I think now we’ll be able to staff someone at the fire department ... Read More »

A property tax increase is on the table for the DeKalb County Commission’s new fiscal year budget. Mayor Matt Adcock said as currently proposed, the increase sits at around 27 cents. He said that an increase is necessary to help cover the county’s increased expenses. “It’s good because our employees are getting their yearly raises just like any other department ... Read More »

Clay County will bear the total cost of emergency services moving forward. Mayor Dale Reagan said the county previously had an agreement to provide the ambulance units and the city of Celina would cover the service. He said after the county acquired the ambulance service last month, that agreement is no longer in effect. “We’ll have a full ambulance budget ... Read More »

White County Sherriff Steve Page voiced his displeasure with the Sherriff office’s 2023-24 budget at Monday’s County Commission meeting. Page said if the department is not better paid, they could be in danger of losing the County Jail. He said if the Jail was to be decertified, taxpayers would end up having to pay to house inmates elsewhere. “I just ... Read More »

White County School System’s new fiscal year budget has a focus on updating teacher and staff salaries. School Director Kurt Dronebarger said they have revamped the entire salary process for both teachers and staff. He said they have also proposed updating the salary schedules. “We’re excited to not only offer raises but also longevity so our employees can look and ... Read More »

The Putnam County Budget Committee voted Thursday night to consider a new employee pay plan which would top out salaries faster. The idea: to improve retention and increase wages. The plan gets employees to their top pay by year ten for emergency services, 15 for all other county jobs. It also incorporates the marketplace adjustments suggested by the recently-completed wage ... Read More »

Putnam County District 1 Commissioner Jonathan Williams proposing a replacement pay structure for county employees. Williams said the idea came about after the county conducted a salary study and learned that it is behind on wages for employees. He said he believes that when looking at updating the pay scale, the entire system needs to be on the table, not ... Read More »

Putnam County’s recently conducted salary study revealed that the county is generally behind on paying county employees for many positions. That’s according to Commission Budget Chair Ben Rodgers. He said the report compared the county to similar-sized counties and to jobs in the private sector. Rodgers said while both are issues, he is more concerned with how the county shapes ... Read More »