DeKalb County property owners will have to ante up a little more when their tax bill comes due this fall.
The county commission Monday night, by a vote of 9-4, increased the overall property tax rate to $1.78 cents per $100 of assessed value, as recommended by the budget committee. That’s a sixteen cent increase from the current rate of $1.62.
The new budget totaling $40,936,094 was also approved.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE 2015-16 BUDGET IN ITS ENTIRETY)
DeKalb-16 Budget WITH 16 CENTS 7-7-15.pdf (229.82 KB)
According to Steve Bates, the county’s financial advisor, the primary reason for the tax increase is to keep the county from digging too deeply into fund balances to operate. “If we don’t increase the revenue this year then more than likely you’re going to start having to borrow money in order to just meet payroll. That is not a position that DeKalb County has ever been in and doesn’t want to be in,” Bates told the commission earlier this month
Bates said the county’s budget woes are primarily due to a stagnant economy in recent years in which revenues have been down while the cost of government has increased. Extra added costs due to the Affordable HealthCare Act (ObamaCare) and lower than anticipated receipts from the ambulance service are also factors.
Four commissioners voted against the sixteen cent tax increase, Joe Johnson, Betty Atnip, Elmer Ellis, Jr. and Jimmy Midgett. Ellis said while he had respect for the budget committee, he could not vote himself a tax increase. Midgett, a member of the budget committee, had previously voted for the proposed budget and tax increase when it came out of committee earlier this month.
The nine commissioners voting for the sixteen cent tax hike were Mason Carter, Jack Barton, Bradley Hendrix, Wayne Cantrell, Anita Puckett, Jerry Adcock, Jeff Barnes, Kevin Robinson, and Larry Summers. Jonathon Norris was absent.
Prior to the vote on the tax levy, the commissioners voted 10-3 in favor of the appropriations resolution for the 2015-16 fiscal year. All voted in favor except for Johnson, Midgett, and Atnip. Both Hendrix and Puckett, who are employed by the school system as teachers declared that while they had a conflict, they were representing their constituents and voting their conscience in supporting the resolution which includes school appropriations.
Meanwhile all thirteen members voted in favor of funding various non-profit groups, as is done each year, and in favor of the consolidated budget, which brings all individual funds under one spending plan.
Prior to the meeting, a public hearing was held. Only one person addressed the commission in opposition to the tax increase, asking what the new revenues would be used for. Several members and supporters of the DeKalb Animal Coalition also addressed the commission asking that the county commit funding to help start a new animal shelter. The City of Smithville has already budgeted $75,000 for this purpose. County Mayor Tim Stribling and Commissioner Jack Barton said the issue would be addressed at the next county commission meeting in August.
The new tax rate is divided up as follows:
County General Fund: 94 cents (a 12 cent increase)
General Purpose Schools: 57 cents ( a 2 cent increase)
Debt Service: 12 cents
County Highway Department: 4 cents ( a 1 cent increase)
Capital Projects Fund: 11 cents ( a 1 cent increase)
The solid waste fund, under this budget as in recent years, will not receive any property tax money but will continue to be supported by revenues derived from payment-in-lieu of taxes, local option sales tax, hotel-motel tax, state revenue sharing-TVA funds, alcoholic beverage tax, bank excise tax, and the state and wholesale beer tax.
Full time county general and sheriff’s department employees due a pay raise under the existing step wage scales will get them under this budget. The sheriff’s department budget includes a new modified pay scale that adds two more tiers to the plan. Some funding in the sheriff’s department budget was reallocated to help offset the costs. The budget also includes a $500 per month increase in pay for the county attorney.
The school budget includes funds for a new computer teacher position at Smithville Elementary School, a new part time janitor position at DeKalb West School, a new school nurse, technology and equipment upgrades, additional supplies for classrooms and intervention programs, a deaf education contract, a new scrubber, and a few other proposed new expenditures.
The county volunteer fire department budget includes funds to start an incentive pay plan based on a points system intended to help retain members and recruit new ones.
Under the incentive approach, firefighters may accumulate points for performing duties or services within the department. The more points accumulated, the greater the reward. The cost is $50,000 but only $15,000 in new money will be needed to fund the program. “We’re basically deleting the training incentive program and the fuel reimbursement program and putting it all (funding from these two programs) toward the points system as a more comprehensive approach to provide different incentives to volunteers,” said Chief Donny Green in previous meetings.
Three fire trucks in the fleet which have failed pump tests will be repaired using $33,670 from the Capital Projects Fund. And $25,000 in seed money will be set aside toward developing a new fire station in the Four Seasons community at some point in the future.
Work will continue toward completion of the new solid waste transfer station. The county has budgeted $475,000 for paving to the facility. After the transfer station is in operation the county will close its existing Class I landfill but develop a Class III/IV site on the same property for the disposal of construction material, household furniture, and other non-household garbage.
Capital projects fund expenses for the year total $373,670 including:
*”Motor Vehicles” Ambulance- $95,000
*”Other Equipment”$12,500
*”Motor Vehicles” Patrol Cars-$82,500
*”Other Equipment”- Fire department (repairs to fire trucks) $33,670
**”Other Construction”- Striping $15,000
*”Building Construction” Omega Building $40,000
**Building Construction”(seed money for Four Seasons Fire Station) $25,000
*”Solid Waste Equipment” Skidsteer/Backhoe $70,000 (landfill)
The county will be making appropriations of $146,681 to the following non-profit organizations:
Upper Cumberland Development District- $2,000
Tennessee Division of Forestry-$1,500
DeKalb County Rescue Squad- $16,821
Plateau Mental Health-$7,180
Families First-$750
Senior Citizens Program-$25,839
DeKalb Soil Conservation District-$33,166
DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce-$17,500
Imagination Library- $7,200
Genesis House- $1,500
Veterans Honor Guard-$2,000
Upper Cumberland Child Advocacy Center- $1,780
DeKalb County Fair- $1,500
WCTE-TV- $5,000
Prospect Incorporated-$12,500
Upper Cumberland Human Resources-$1,200
UCHRA Assessment-Homemaker Aide, etc-$9,245
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