The Franklin County Commissioners met Sept. 4 in a special called session to vote on the entire 2012–13 county budget, and approve the certified tax rate from the state.
Before the vote, Andrea Smith, Franklin County finance director, reminded the commissioners that “there was not a lot of increase in expenditures from the 2011–12 general budget and the 2012–13 general budget.”
“We are looking at a difference of $1,089,647,” Smith said. “Th e largest amount of this is from grants that are paid back, medical insurance and retirement premiums and the transfer to the general debt service.”
“This means that the county general budget has decreased $285,477 this year to off set these three increases,” said Smith.
Smith added that the departments have been consistently cutting their budgets for the past three years. “We also have to meet maintenance of effort for all departments so that they have funds sufficient to operate the office,” said Smith.
“Why are we raising taxes?” asked commissioner Tony DeMatteo, who represents district 8. “I hope to lower taxes instead of raising them. It is called belt tightening.”
Smith explained that the certified tax rate comes from the state. The state looks at the previous year’s budget, the assessed property rates and makes sure the same amount of revenue generated by property tax comes in.
“In 2007, the last reappraisal year, we lost $5 million in revenue when the county commission voted to reduce the certified tax rate from the state. We are still trying to make up that deficit,” said Smith. “This is why we are now ending up with less money and a higher rate at this time.”
In 2007 the certified tax rate was to be $2.93 and was reduced by the county commission. Th e tax rate for 2011–12 was $2.4661 for outside cities, $2.3843 for other cities and $2.2336 for Sewanee, Winchester and Tullahoma.
The net estimated collection of property taxes in 2011–12 was $19,835,846. For the 2012–13 budget, it is estimated there will be $22,075,412 in property tax revenue, minus the delinquency of those paying.
“We were told the increase to the property tax was needed to balance the budget, and what are we doing adding to the budget?” asked county commissioner Angie Fuller from District 7. Smith pointed out that most of the additions to the budget, such as the Christmas bonuses, were discussed and added during the budget workshops.
“We cut jobs and then are faced with lawsuits,” said commissioner Johnny Hughes. “We added such things as paying for dead animals to be removed from farms into the budget during workshops, and then at the last minute say we have to cut expenditures from the budget. I would like for those who voted ‘no’ last time to tell these departments where they should cut in their budgets.”
The commissioners approved the 2012–13 budget by a vote of 10–6.
The Franklin County budget proposes expenditures totaling $72,432,152. The proposed revenue totals $69,909,463, a deficit of approximately $2.5 million. The fund balance will be $9,027,358.
The certified tax rate was also approved at the budget meeting by a vote of 10–6. The certified tax rate is $2.6736 for outside cities, $2.5995 for other cities and $2.4452 for Sewanee, Winchester and Tullahoma.
Most of the commissioners would like to see more long-term planning from all departments and the county commission sub-committees, so at the last minute the budgets are not cut or not passed. “We need to set ourselves a better plan,” said commissioner David Eldridge from District 7. “We need a structured transition in reduction of cost instead of eroding the fund balance,” Eldridge said.
The next scheduled meeting of the county commissioners is at 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 17, at the Franklin County Annex Building.
By K.G. Beavers, Messenger Staff Writer
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