The Carter County Commission has proposed a four-cent increase in the property tax for the fiscal year 2017-18. The new tax rate if approved by the Commission would raise the tax rate to $2.49 per $100 of assessed property value.
In addition to the property tax increase, some members of the Carter County Commission are open to a $25 wheel tax to fund the county’s allocated expenditures.
It appears from Commission discussions and bookkeeping figures that the county faces some serious fiscal challenges ahead in order to address the long-neglected needs of infrastructure as well as increases in the cost of employee health insurance. When is the last time your heard a local official anywhere, say: “We’ve got all the money we need, and then some?”
There are some folks, who are against all taxes, and there are some, who are not necessarily opposed to increased taxes, but to how the tax money is spent. Taxes are a tricky topic. Nobody is enthusiastic about paying more of them.
Counties are responsible for providing education dollars, which go to the upkeep of schools, salaries, and for educating our students. Some of those dollars go to school bus transportation, getting our children to and from school.
Counties are also responsible for public safety and operating the criminal justice system, from jails to courts to deputies.
Tax money also maintains our roads and bridges, keeps them cleared of ice and snow in the winter.
And since the county depends primarily on property taxes for their revenue source, it oftentimes means they don’t have enough money to keep up with the increasing expenditures. Counties, essentially, are being asked to do more, for more people, without the resources they need.
A property tax increase may be bad news for your pocketbook, because an increase in the tax rate will mean higher taxes.
Local elected officials have too few options in raising revenue. Revenue comes mainly in the form of property taxes and sales taxes. But, if we want quality services and schools, we’re going to have to pay for them.
We understand that no one wants to pay more taxes, but every now and then, increasing taxes is the right thing to do.
County leaders have been frugal, managing the county’s finances well through tough times. They have been reluctant to raise taxes, instead borrowing from department surpluses and reserves to pay the bills. But that has led to a major problem. Many valuable employees, who haven’t had a raise in years, are leaving for better-paying jobs. It’s getting harder for the county to keep good law officers and paramedics, and that means public safety suffers. The increase in taxes will give county employees a one percent salary increase. Also, county school employees will get a one percent pay raise, which will help to bring their salaries more in line with what other districts are paying.
The four-cent tax increase is not that much money. And, as long as leaders continue to spend wisely and try to avoid another increase soon, that’s a small price to pay to help keep quality county employees on the payroll.