News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Van Buren County’s property tax rate will not change, despite rumors of it increasing.
Commissioners voted Tuesday night to keep the rate at 2.40 percent. The property tax rate has not changed since 2020. Van Buren County Commissioner Cale Crain said the commissioners are fully aware of the financial state of Van Buren County citizens.
“We know that this is a poor county and there’s a struggle for anybody to get anything,” Crain said. “And I understand that the city has gone up or whoever has announced gone up in water and in sewer, so it’s just a hard time for everybody and we understand that.”
The concerns led to a public meeting Tuesday called by citizens to discuss the rumors of a property tax hike. Crain said someone had misled the public through social media.
“There was a lot of rumor going on stating that we were going up on property taxes,” Crain said. “I apologize for anybody about that, that did not come from us I don’t know where that came from, but at this time we are not doing a property tax increase.”
Van Buren County financial Director Heather Woodlee told commissioners the tax rate had been published and showed no change.
In other business, commissioners proposed to make the road around the Piney Convenience Center a county road. The request was made so that it would be maintained by the county.
Corrections Corporal Isaac Scott was honored at the meeting for saving an inmate’s life back in March. Van Buren County Sheriff Michael Brock was honored for his search efforts for an individual who was missing during severe winter conditions back in January. Brock also retrieved medicine for a citizen who had severe back surgeries and was unable to receive treatment or medication due to the weather conditions.
