Oak Ridge Today

Council approves budget with no tax increase, more money for schools

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Note: This story was updated at 1:15 p.m. June 16.

The Oak Ridge City Council approved a budget on Monday that does not include a property tax rate increase, but it does include more money for schools. The budget anticipates increases in the trash fee and water and sewer rates.

It was the second and final vote on the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The first vote, or reading, was Monday, June 6.

The property tax rate will stay at $2.52 per $100 of assessed value. It’s the ninth year in a row without a property tax rate increase by the city, although the tax rate had to be adjusted last year after five-year reappraisals.

The budget, which has about $22.8 million in the general fund, includes a 3 percent pay adjustment that will move municipal employees along their pay scales, helping to separate those who have worked for the city for a while from those who have just started. [Read more…]

Council approves budget with no tax increase, more money for schools

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Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 a.m.

The Oak Ridge City Council approved a budget on Monday that does not include a property tax rate increase, but it does include more money for schools and it anticipates increases in the trash fee and water and sewer rates.

The budget passed in a 6-1 vote in the first of two readings this month. The second and final reading is Monday, June 13.

Council rejected one motion to lower the $2.52 property tax rate by 4.4 cents and another to take away the additional $538,048 requested by Oak Ridge Schools and put it into the capital fund instead.

The budget does not increase the property tax rate for the ninth year in a row. After five-year reappraisals last year, the rate is now set at $2.52 per $100 of assessed value.

As approved on first reading Monday, the budget includes a 3 percent pay adjustment that will move municipal employees along their pay scales, helping to separate those who have worked for the city for a while from those who have just started. The school budget, which was approved by the Oak Ridge Board of Education in May, also includes 3 percent salary increases. [Read more…]

Small business owner seeks to retain seat on County Commission

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Angeleque McNutt

Angeleque McNutt

Anderson County Commissioner Angeleque McNutt wants to keep her seat on County Commission, and she has announced that she is a candidate in the August 4 election.

McNutt, who owns Rainbow Florist in Oak Ridge, was appointed to replace Robin Biloski on Anderson County Commission when Biloski resigned on August 3 because she and her husband Bill moved to Madeira Beach, Florida.

McNutt now represents District 8, one of two commissioners in that district (Myron Iwanski is the other commissioner). The district includes Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland in Oak Ridge.

McNutt’s appointment to the seat by the County Commission in August 2015 was through the August 2016 county general election. [Read more…]

See the city manager’s budget presentation here

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Oak Ridge Today has uploaded a copy of the city manager’s budget presentation to Oak Ridge City Council. You can see a PDF version of the budget presentation here: City of Oak Ridge (Fiscal Year 2017 Budget).

Council received the PowerPoint presentation during a special meeting on Tuesday.

Here are a few highlights from the Tuesday meeting: [Read more…]

City’s proposed budget would leave property tax rate unchanged

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m.

The proposed city budget presented to Oak Ridge City Council members on Tuesday would leave the property tax rate unchanged, but it could include rate increases for water, sewer, and trash collection.

If approved by Council, the budget would not increase the property tax rate for the ninth year in a row. After five-year reappraisals last year, the rate is now set at $2.52 per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed budget includes a 3 percent pay adjustment that would move employees along their pay scales, helping to separate those who have worked for the city for a while from those who have just started.

The trash fee would increase by $3.50 per month, raising it from $10.50 to $14 per month starting in October. The fee was raised to $10.50 last year. At $14 per month, the city would no longer subsidize part of the trash fee, as it has previously done. The city used to pay half of the $14 fee, meaning residents paid $7 per month and the city paid $7. [Read more…]

Clinton budget passes on first reading

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Clinton City Hall

From WYSH Radio

On Monday, the Clinton City Council approved its budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on first reading.

The budget leaves the property tax rate at its current level of 94 cents per $100 of assessed value while providing 2 percent pay raises for city workers.

The second and final reading for the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget will be held on June 27.

New Roane tax rate could mean another $95 for OR homeowner

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David Morgan

David Morgan (File photo/2012)

The new certified property tax rate and tax rate increase in Roane County could cost the owner of a $100,000 home in Oak Ridge another $95 per year, according to data provided by the Roane County property assessor.

That’s a 19.29 percent increase, according to the information from Property Assessor David Morgan. Here’s the breakdown of the increase: 4.37 percent was due to the increase in the state-certified rate—Tennessee officials call it a tax-neutral rate—and 19.29 percent was due to the 29-cent increase approved by the Roane County Commission on Monday and anticipated in a budget passed in July.

The tax-neutral rate in Roane County went up because the total overall property assessment went down 3.47 percent. The tax-neutral rate is the rate meant to bring in the same amount of revenues after a reappraisal as before. If the overall property assessment goes down, the tax-neutral rate goes up, and vice versa.

The additional $95 per year assumes the property assessment stayed the same, at $100,000, in the five-year reappraisals completed this year. [Read more…]

WYSH: Roane Commission passes tax increase

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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.

AC School Board OKs raises for employees

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Larry Foster

Larry Foster is director of Anderson County Schools.

Information from WYSH Radio

Thursday night, the Anderson County School Board unanimously approved pay raises for some 600 certified employees of the school system and about 400 classified employees.

Certified staff will receive a $1,000 raise, which equals about 2 percent.

Classified staff will receive a 48-cent-per-hour raise, which equals about $1,000 for all 260-day classified staff as well.

School officials point out that some staff members do not work the 260-day-a-year schedule, so their raise will not equal $1,000. [Read more…]

Kingston property tax, water rates increased

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City of Kingston Logo

Information from WYSH Radio/BBB-TV

On Tuesday, the Kingston City Council voted 5-2 on first reading to increase the city’s property tax rate by 23 cents per $100 of assessed value.

BBB-TV reported that supporters of the increase said it is necessary to avoid laying off five workers and because of flat sales tax revenues.

The Council also voted Tuesday to raise water rates by 5 percent. [Read more…]

Commission again approves 10-cent tax increase for pay raises, schools

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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. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11 p.m.

CLINTON—The Anderson County Commission has again approved a 10-cent tax rate increase for 2 percent pay raises for county employees, teachers, and school staff, and this time the result is final.

The first attempt in July ended in a legislative stalemate when commissioners failed to raise the tax rate by 10 cents, even though the budget they had passed earlier anticipated that increase. Commissioners first vote on the budget and then vote on the tax rate.

In their second attempt on Thursday, August 13, commissioners first approved budgets with the total 10-cent increase and then raised the tax rate by 10 cents. That ended a long process that began as early as May and included seven meetings, according to one official.

“We’re just relieved that the process is finally over,” said Rachel Minardo, president of the Anderson County Education Association. [Read more…]

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

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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…]