• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

In final vote, City Council again rejects tax increase for schools

Posted at 8:58 pm June 16, 2014
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Oak Ridge City Council Budget Meeting

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday again said “no” to a property tax rate increase to give more money to Oak Ridge Schools. Council is pictured above during a June 9 budget meeting.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. June 17.

Two last-minute attempts to pass smaller-than-requested tax increases for the Oak Ridge Schools failed on Monday, and the City Council voted 4-2 to approve a budget that does not raise taxes in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The decision to not raise taxes for the seventh year in a row came after a parade of residents in two meetings this month asked Council to fully fund the schools. Many said they moved here because of the schools, and they said the educational system is Oak Ridge’s primary asset. School teachers, administrators, and school board members also said they support a greater investment in the schools.

“Flatline budgets will eventually produce flatline results,” said Steve Reddick, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Jefferson Middle School and co-president of the Oak Ridge Education Association.

The schools had requested $17.9 million from the city, but the no-tax-increase budget lowered that amount to $14.6 million. School officials had previously said they will have to “go back to the drawing board” and make cuts if Council did not approve the tax rate increase. It’s not clear yet what cuts might be made. The Oak Ridge Board of Education could discuss changes to the school system’s budget, which was approved in May, during a Monday evening meeting.

Some speakers in the two City Council budget meetings this month objected to the requested tax increase, with some saying they couldn’t afford it and others saying it might discourage residents or businesses from moving here. They argued that the economy is in bad shape, and the city has a lot of debt—much of it for the renovated Oak Ridge High School—and has had recent increases in water and sewer rates.

“Right now, this city cannot afford more costs for property tax owners,” City Council member Anne Garcia Garland said. “We have a school system that is exceptionally well-funded.”

“Where are we going to get the money from?” asked resident Walter Zobel, who has been in Oak Ridge since 1954. He said his pension has not increased and his Social Security has only gone up by 1.2 percent.

Others said they supported a technology initiative known as 1:1 that would eventually provide an electronic learning device, possibly a Microsoft Surface tablet computer, to every student—but not a tax increase to pay for it.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education passed a budget in May that requested a 37-cent property tax increase to start rolling out the 1:1 initiative, hire technology personnel and other staff, comply with the reporting requirements of the federal Affordable Care Act, and give employees a 2 percent pay raise, among other things.

Meanwhile, the city staff had recommended a municipal budget that did not include a tax rate increase. That budget was based on input from Council, and it includes a 2 percent pay raise for city workers. It also includes the city’s annual transfer to the schools.

The City Council on Monday rejected separate proposals from Council members Chuck Hope and Charlie Hensley to raise the property tax rate by either 12 cents or 10 cents to give more money to the schools. Both proposals failed in 2-4 votes, with only Hope and Hensley voting “yes.”

“Our schools have been, and continue to be, one of the biggest attributes,” Hope said. “If we continue to tighten the shoestrings or belt, something will break.”

Hope and Hensley cast the two votes against the budget that did not include the tax rate increase. Council member Trina Baughn was absent.

Reddick said the funding from the city to the schools has fallen over the years from 40 percent to 28 percent. Meanwhile, school system costs have risen and new requirements have been imposed by state and federal mandates, he said.

Monday’s vote was the second and final reading of the budget. The City Council approved the budget on first reading on June 9. They did not consider any tax rate increases during that meeting.

The tax rate is now $2.39 per $100 of assessed value. The 37-cent tax rate increase would have raised it to $2.76 and could have cost the owner of a $200,000 home another $15 per month.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Filed Under: Education, Government, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: 1:1, Affordable Care Act, Anne Garcia Garland, budget, Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, Jefferson Middle School, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Education Association, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raise, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, Steve Reddick, tax increase, tax rate, technology initiative, Trina Baughn, Walter Zobel

Advertisements


 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Education News

Learn why bugs are good

Submitted Every bug has a purpose. Did you know that very few caterpillars reach their mature size because birds gobble them down? It is estimated that one pair of chickadees must find 6,000 caterpillars to feed one … [Read More...]

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County's district attorney general said. This is the … [Read More...]

ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s extracurricular drama program, is presenting "Into the Woods," the Stephen Sondheim musical based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, in four performances this … [Read More...]

Roane State employees receive excellence awards

Four Roane State Community College employees have been recognized as winners of the prestigious Excellence Award bestowed by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. NISOD has been named the … [Read More...]

Tennessee Holocaust Commission accepting student entries for 2022 contest

“The Holocaust is a lesson in human (and inhuman) history that took place because of hate, bigotry, indifference—all characteristics that know no bounds. These traits spread like wildfire. If we remain indifferent to … [Read More...]

More Education

More Government News

Luminarias to feature peace messages

Luminarias with peace messages will be lit this year to remember and acknowledge the atomic bombings of Japan in August 1945, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park said. A luminaria is a lantern with a candle … [Read More...]

Repairs set for S. Illinois Ave. this week

The City of Oak Ridge Public Works Department will be making asphalt repairs to South Illinois Avenue this week, weather permitting, a press release said. The work will be in the northbound lanes across from Badger … [Read More...]

City of Oak Ridge Seal

Horizon Center power, airport update, mercury storage on Council agenda

An airport update, potential comments about mercury storage, and an overview of a proposed 69-kilovolt electrical line for the TRISO-X project at Horizon Center are on the agenda for an Oak Ridge City Council work … [Read More...]

Planning Commission to consider rezoning for nuclear fuel fabrication

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider rezoning 110 acres at Horizon Center for a nuclear fuel fabrication company. The property (Lot 6a) has been purchased from the Oak Ridge Industrial … [Read More...]

Repairs planned for gravel section of Tuskegee Road

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will conduct road repairs to the gravel section of Tuskegee Road from Tuesday, July 19 to Friday, July 22, weather permitting, a press release said. The work will require sections … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • ORAU launches new app with a variety of resources available, including hundreds of STEM internships, fellowships and research opportunities
  • Disposing of uranium waste could cost at least $7.2 billion
  • Y-12 now getting power from Pine Ridge substation
  • Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings
  • Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash
  • DOE picks Idaho for nuclear test reactor
  • TBI investigating man’s death
  • Luminarias to feature peace messages
  • Oak Ridge tennis court dance is Thursday
  • DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today