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Letter: Urge City Council, residents to invest in schools

Posted at 5:49 am June 14, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 28 Comments

Dear members of City Council and fellow citizens:

We are writing this letter in response to the Fiscal Year 2015 budget decisions made during the June 9 Oak Ridge City Council meeting. The Council’s overwhelming vote to maintain property tax rates at the same rate they have held steady at since 2009 may bode well for the short-term pocketbooks of our residents, but the long-term results are disconcerting and disheartening for many.

City Council is alienating the tax base that it needs to nurture. The young professionals, business owners, and families with school-aged children who once flocked to this city but now trickle must be heard by Council. These families have the disposable income to spend in Oak Ridge stores, and will pay the property taxes for decades to come that will keep this city viable. Yet at this Council meeting, our voices were not truly heard.

The argument that we continue to hear is that “our schools have plenty of money” and that the schools “need to learn to live within their budget.” The Oak Ridge Schools have proven that they can do this, but what is the cost of this attitude? How does this foster a strong relationship with not only the schools and their employees, but the families and students? How can the Schools continue to maintain excellence without, at the very least, inflationary and cost of living increases, when really it takes much more? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, K-12, Letters, Opinion Tagged With: Board of Education, Bruce Borchers, budget, digital devices, Donna Butcher, education system, expenses, Fernanda Foertter, Fiscal Year 2015, funding, Greg Foertter, Jutta Bangs, Mike Mahathy, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, property tax increase, property tax rates, property taxes, school board, schools, tax base

Guest column: Trying to set the record straight on the property tax rate

Posted at 1:04 pm June 2, 2013
By Ellen Smith 14 Comments

Online comments by local citizens in response to some recent guest columns about city and county budgets and taxes have revealed some mistaken notions about the way property tax rates are established in Tennessee cities and counties. I want to set the record straight regarding a couple of misconceptions about property tax that I see being spread in recent public discussions.

On the Oak Ridge Today website, citizen Andrew Howe posted a comment saying:

“The property tax rate should NEVER have to increase. It is basically a percentage of the value of the home, right? And if the value of the home rises (as it should, in line with the cost of living), then the taxes will also rise.”

I can’t quarrel with Mr. Howe’s logic, but his conclusions are wrong. This is because he makes an assumption that is valid in many states but isn’t valid in Tennessee.

Under Tennessee law, when properties are reappraised, state officials calculate—and publicize—the property tax rate that will give the local government the same total amount of property tax that it was getting from existing properties before the reappraisal. (This calculated rate is called the “certified tax rate.”) That’s the new baseline tax rate. If a local government in Tennessee wants to get more property tax revenue after a reappraisal, the governing body has to vote to increase the tax rate above the certified rate. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Anderson County, appraisal, certified tax rate, city budget, county budget, Ellen Smith, Oak Ridge, property tax collections, property tax increases, property tax rate, property tax rates, property tax revenues, property values, reappraisal, tax bills, taxes, Tennessee

Guest column: Do our competitors ‘hammer us’ on property tax rates?

Posted at 1:50 pm May 28, 2013
By Myron Iwanski 39 Comments

Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski

I agree with Martin McBride that Oak Ridge is a great place to live. However, I do not agree with his statement in recent columns that high property taxes are the reason Anderson County’s and Oak Ridge’s populations are not growing as fast as those in some area counties.

The following information from county and city audit reports and websites, the University of Tennessee County Technical Advisory Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website help make my point. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Consumer Price Index, CPI, full-service city, growth, homeowner, Martin McBride, Myron Iwanski, Oak Ridge, population growth, property tax rates, property taxes, services, tax rate increases, taxes, wheel taxes

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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