UNION COUNTY, Tennessee — Commissioners in Union County are in the process of discussing the county's budget, and on Monday community members went to a meeting to voice their concern about possible tax hikes.
They decided not to vote on possible tax hikes during Monday's meeting. Several people attended the meeting to say they were opposed to it.
"We don't feel like it's fair to the citizens of Union County. Yes, there are citizens that can afford that in Union County, but there's even more citizens in Union County that can not," said Jason Mills, who attended the meeting.
WBIR asked county commissioners for a comment on the controversy, but they declined. The county mayor, Jason Bailey, said that a vote wouldn't happen until June. They said they follow the budget calendar every year, which gives county leaders a chance to evaluate the budget before voting on it.
State law generally restricts counties from profiting from property tax, unless they follow some specific steps, like notifying the public about the change. Union County commissioners said during the meeting they were planning to fund projects to build a new jail and school. They also said there was a shortage in their funds for waste management and emergency medical services.
The EMS director said much of the deficit in funding was a result of county-approved pay increases for EMS workers to $15 per hour. Commissioners voted to explore choices for other ambulance services.
Tax rates to fund the projects and make up the shortages, depending on the type of loan the county would take and the projects they would commit to, range from around $1.68 to $2.44. Currently, the tax rate in the county is at around $1.59.