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Commission to discuss county budget, possible 18-cent tax rate increase

Posted at 1:04 pm June 27, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Courthouse
The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above. (File photo)

The Anderson County Commission will discuss the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, and a possible 18.25-cent increase in the property tax rate on Thursday.

The special meeting is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 27, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The meeting will focus on the budget proposal, and it will include time for elected and appointed officials, as well as department heads and citizens, to address the Commission with comments and concerns about the proposed budget.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Courthouse, budget, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, tax rate, tax rate increase

Council approves budget with no tax rate increase

Posted at 1:54 am June 8, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-city-council-december-2016

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above in December 2016. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council approved a budget with no property tax rate increase on Monday.

If the budget is adopted in a second and final vote next week, it will be the 10th year in a row without a tax rate increase in Oak Ridge.

The Council had been asked to consider a four-cent increase in the property tax rate in order to fund a 2.5 percent pay raise for Oak Ridge Schools teachers and staff. That increase would have pushed the city’s property tax rate to $2.56 per $100 of assessed value. But that request was denied.

Instead, Council voted 4-2 to keep the tax rate at $2.52.

But Council did agree, in another 4-2 vote, to give the schools about $538,000 in additional funding that the city agreed to provide on a recurring basis. That means the city will have to continue to provide that extra money in the funding that it transfers to Oak Ridge Schools each year as part of what is known as maintenance of effort. The city had also given the schools an additional $538,000 last year, but it was on a one-time basis for a digital device initiative that includes convertible laptops for students, among other expenses.

This year, members of the Oak Ridge Board of Education sought to make that $538,000 a recurring part of the school system’s funding, and they wanted to add another $318,000—or about $856,000 total—for the 2.5 percent pay raise for teachers and staff. Council members approved the first part of that request (the recurring $538,000), but not the second (the extra $318,000). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, Chuck Hope, City of Oak Ridge, Ellen Smith, Hans Vogel, Jim Dodson, Kelly Callison, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raise, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, Rick Chinn, tax rate increase, Warren Gooch

Norris Council rejects tax hike

Posted at 12:04 pm June 16, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Norris City Council has reversed course on a property tax rate increase.

Last month, the Norris City Council voted on first reading to adopt a budget that included a seven-cent property tax rate increase to address possible needs in the future.

But last week, during a public hearing, dozens of Norris taxpayers spoke out against the increase. Council members apparently listened, as Monday, they voted to keep the property tax rate at its current level. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Norris Tagged With: Norris, Norris City Council, property tax rate, property tax rate increase

WYSH: Roane Commission passes tax increase

Posted at 11:46 am September 15, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Roane County Courthouse

The Roane County Courthouse in Kingston is pictured above. (File photo)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The Roane County Commission approved a property tax rate increase at its meeting Monday night by a vote of 8-6.

Property taxes will go up by about 30 cents per $100 of assessed value. The increase was needed to support the fiscal budget.

Commissioners approved the county’s budget back in July. Twenty-two cents of the tax increase will go toward the county schools. County Executive Ron Woody said commission members knew the schools needed the money.

Approval of the property tax comes after months of waiting for the state to finish its assessments after the state comptroller’s office took over for the Roane County Assessor’s Office.

BBB-TV owner Ron Berry was elected commission chairman on Monday, and Harriman’s Randy Ellis was elected to his fifth term as vice chairman.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Roane County Tagged With: property tax rate, property tax rate increase, property taxes, Randy Ellis, Roane County Assessor's Office, Roane County Commission, Ron Berry, Ron Woody, tax increase

County to consider budget, tax rate again on Aug. 13

Posted at 9:18 am August 5, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Teachers at County Commission

Roughly three-quarters of those attending the budget deliberations at Anderson County Commission wore red—”Red for Public Ed”—on Monday, July 20, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Anderson County commissioners have called another special meeting—this one on Thursday, August 13—to consider the county budget and tax rate. At stake are pay raises for county employees and educators and more than $1 million in new money for schools in Anderson County, Clinton, and Oak Ridge.

County commissioners approved a budget supported by a 10-cent property tax rate increase during a regular meeting on Monday, July 20. Eight cents of that increase was meant to provide most of the money needed for 2 percent pay raises for teachers and staff in Anderson County Schools. Anderson County Schools expected to receive another $700,000 or so from the tax rate increase, while Oak Ridge Schools anticipated an extra $423,000 and Clinton City Schools were projected to get another $134,000.

The other two cents approved during the July 20 meeting was for 2 percent pay raises for Anderson County employees, with the exception of county commissioners and other elected officials.

But in a follow-up special meeting on Thursday, July 30, the Anderson County Commission rejected the tax increase when it came time to officially adopt the new tax rate for the fiscal year that began July 1. For now, county and school officials are continuing to operate under last year’s spending levels. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Government, Meetings and Events, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Schools, budget, budget cuts, certified tax rate, Clinton City Schools, fund balance, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raises, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, special meeting, tax increase, tax rate, tax rate increase

Tax rate increases, changes in AC, Clinton, Oliver Springs, RC, Rocky Top

Posted at 3:59 pm July 24, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Increases in the property tax rate have been approved or are anticipated in budgets that have already passed in Anderson County, Clinton, Oliver Springs, Roane County, and Rocky Top.

Those increases are in addition to the increases already expected because of a drop in overall property assessments in Anderson and Roane counties. The 4 percent drop in Anderson County and 3.47 percent decline in Roane County mean the tax-neutral rate—the rate meant to bring in the same amount of revenues after a reappraisal as before—goes up.

The highest tax increase, which includes a 6-cent change in the certified tax rate after five-year reappraisals, is 40 cents. That’s in Rocky Top, where the new tax rate is $2 per $100 of assessed value.

The lowest so far is in Anderson County, where county commissioners have approved a 10-cent increase for 2 percent pay raises for school and county employees. That’s in addition to the roughly 16-cent increase in the tax-neutral, or certified, tax rate.

Oak Ridge will be the last of those half-dozen governments to consider any changes to the tax-neutral rate. In Oak Ridge, the rate has been calculated at $2.52, up 13 cents from the current $2.39.

Oak Ridge could also be the only one of those half-dozen governments that doesn’t add a tax rate increase to this year’s higher tax-neutral rate. So far, it appears that a majority of Oak Ridge City Council members could support the $2.52 rate, although two Council members, Trina Baughn and Rick Chinn, have advocated for a reduction, possibly by two cents to $2.50.

Here is information on the increases or potential increases: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Clinton, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Roane County, Rocky Top, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Schools, budget, certified tax rate, Clinton, Gail Cook, Oak Ridge City Council, Oliver Springs, pay raises, property assessments, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, reappraisals, Roane County, Rocky Top, Ron Woody, tax rate, tax rate increases, tax-neutral rate, Tyler Mayes

AC Commission approves 10-cent tax rate increase for pay raises

Posted at 1:19 am July 21, 2015
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Rachel Minardo at Anderson County Commission

Rachel Minardo, president of the Anderson County Education Association, and others have advocated for a 4 percent pay raise for county school teachers and staff. Above, Minardo talks to the 16-member Anderson County Commission in Clinton on Monday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m.

CLINTON—After rejecting a few other proposals, Anderson County commissioners on Monday approved a 10-cent property tax rate increase to fund 2 percent pay raises for county employees and school teachers and staff.

The vote for the tax rate increase was 9-5-1.

Eight cents of the 10-cent increase is for Anderson County Schools, and the other two cents will cover the pay raise for county employees, with the exception of elected officials and county commissioners.

Earlier in the five-hour meeting, commissioners rejected proposals to:

  • raise the property tax rate by 10 cents for a 2 percent pay raise for the schools,
  • raise the tax rate by 5 cents for a 1 percent raise,
  • approve the school budget as submitted with no tax increase,
  • raise the property tax rate by 7.5 cents for the schools, and
  • use $1.7 million from the fund balance for a one-time bonus for schools in Anderson County, Oak Ridge, and Clinton.

Teachers said they haven’t had a pay raise since 2012, and they last received a bonus in 2013 and that was $200. They have said all the surrounding school districts except Campbell County pay more, and they want to be able to recruit and retain good teachers—and not be a training ground for other districts. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, Front Page News, Government, Government, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: ACEA, Anderson County Board of Education, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Education Association, Anderson County Schools, budget, certified tax rate, Chuck Fritts, Daniel McInturff, Jerry Creasey, Jerry White, Jim Woodward, Kelly Williams, Larry Foster, Mark Alderson, Myron Iwanski, pay raises, Philip Warfield, property assessments, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, Rachel Minardo, reappraisals, Rick Meredith, Robert McKamey, Robin Biloski, Steve Emert, Steve Mead, tax rate, tax-neutral rate, Theresa Scott, Tim Isbel, Tracy Wandell, Whitey Hitchcock, Zach Bates

2014 Election: School board candidates talk taxes, budgets, bus routes, Preschool

Posted at 3:52 am November 3, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Oak Ridge Board of Education Candidates 2014

Oak Ridge Board of Education candidates are, from right, Mike Mahathy, Laura McLean, Bob Eby, Andy Howe, Paige Marshall, and Jean Hiser. Not pictured are Laurie Paine and Aaron Wells.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:10 a.m. Nov. 3.

School board candidates at two forums this campaign season expressed optimism that school officials will be able to continue to provide school bus transportation to most students in the next school year, and several said they would support a property tax rate increase if it were deemed necessary.

Bob Eby, Oak Ridge Board of Education vice chair, cited delayed staff raises and textbook purchases as well as capital project needs. Eby helped lead moves this summer to restore bus transportation to preschool students and then other students after the area where bus service is not provided was temporarily expanded to 1.5 miles as part of cost-cutting measures in June.

In August, Karen Gagliano, Oak Ridge Schools director of business and support services, said the $500,000 in fund balance money used to restore transportation and the delayed purchase of textbooks, among other things, means the school system could start the Fiscal Year 2015 budget discussions with a $1.8 million deficit, before anything new is added.

“I will ask for a tax increase next year,” Eby said. “We’ve put (off) all we can put off.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Education, Education, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: 1:1, 1:1 devices, Aaron Wells, Andy Howe, Bob Eby, bus route, Dan DiGregorio, election, Jean Hiser, Jenny Richter, Laura McLean, Laurie Paine, Mike Mahathy, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Preschool, Paige Marshall, parent responsibility zone, pay riase, property tax rate increase, school board, school board candidates, school bus transportation, tax increase, teacher raises, technology initiative

No change in Anderson County property tax rate, officials say

Posted at 9:57 am June 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Anderson County Commission in June 2014

The Anderson County Commission is pictured above during its Monday night meeting. (Photo by Sara Wise)

CLINTON—The property tax rate will remain unchanged in Anderson County in the fiscal year that begins July 1, officials said.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and the Budget Committee had both presented a no-tax-increase budget, and on Monday, the Anderson County Commission set the property tax rate for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

The tax rates for the new fiscal year will stay the same as the rates for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Property owners within the city of Clinton will pay $2.50 per $100 of assessed value on their property, Oak Ridge property owners will see a tax rate of $2.347 per $100, and property owners in Lake City, Oliver Springs, Norris and unincorporated areas of Anderson County will pay $2.529 per $100 of assessed value.

While Anderson County Commission voted to approve the tax rate resolution, the legislative body has not yet approved an operating budget for the new fiscal year, the Anderson County Mayor’s Office said in a press release. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson County Mayor’s Office, budget, Budget Committee, Clinton, fiscal year, Lake City, medical insurance, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, pay raises, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, Terry Frank

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.

[Read more…]

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

Schools scale back tech initiative, could ask for 37-cent tax increase

Posted at 9:39 pm May 28, 2014
By Sara Wise Leave a Comment

Doug Cofer and Oak Ridge Board of Education

Doug Cofer, left, director of the Oak Ridge Schools Technology Department, shows the Board of Education a Powerpoint presentation on Wednesday that outlines changes in the budget proposal that were made at the request of the board. (Photo by Sara Wise)

 

School officials scaled back the rollout of a digital technology initiative that would provide every student with an electronic device before approving a budget that could require a 37-cent tax increase to avoid cuts in staff or programs.

It could be one of the largest requests for a property tax rate increase in recent years. But it’s not clear if city officials, who have been working toward a no-tax-increase budget, will agree to any rate hikes.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education passed the budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which starts July 1, in a 5-1 vote on first reading on Wednesday. The vote came after amendments were made based on discussions by the school board on Tuesday night.

Board member Dan DiGregorio cast the lone vote against the proposal on Wednesday. DiGregorio said he couldn’t support a reduction in staff or more programs to make up for the tax increase, should the city not approve it. The board will ask the city for a tax increase of $0.37, down from the original proposed increase of $0.42.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Education, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: 1:1, 1:1 device integration, Bruce Borchers, budget, Dan DiGregorio, digital technology, electronic device, Fiscal Year 2015, K-12, Mike Mahathy, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, property tax rate increase, Richard Eby, School Administration Building, school budget, staff, tax increase

Anderson officials develop plan to hire 15 jailers for jail expansion

Posted at 8:37 pm May 24, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Terry Frank

Terry Frank

CLINTON—For now, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has dropped her proposal to cut funding for the county law director, and she has worked with the budget director to put together a plan to hire 15 new jailers for a jail expansion that could open in November.

But it’s less than half the number of new jailers requested by Anderson County Sheriff Paul White for the 212-bed expansion of the Anderson County Detention Facility, which could be completed in November.

“They understand the budget constraints,” Frank said of the Sheriff’s Department. “In this tight economy, we’re doing the best we can.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: alternatives to incarceration, Anderson County Budget Committee, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County Law Director, Anderson County mayor, Anderson County Sheriff, budget, Chris Phillips, Dusty Irwin, jail expansion, jailers, Myron Iwanski, Paul White, property tax rate increase, savings, Steve Mead, Terry Frank, Tim Isbel

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