Bradley County Trustee Mike Smith, in a report to the Bradley County Commission on Monday, said tax relief payments will be trimmed due to action by the Tennessee Legislature.
He said, as it turned out, the state finished with a surplus of $300 million to $400 million. He said a bill has already been filed to restore full benefits under the tax relief program.
Trustee Smith said the relief applies to those who make less than $28,690 in a year. He said that applies to the income of all those who are on the deed.
He said there has been an effort to get the word out about the program. Still, he said, there are double the number of people who qualify but did not apply as those who did sign up.
Trustee Smith said, despite tax abatements, Wacker wound up paying $908,000 in taxes.
He said the property tax has been growing by about $600,000 per year, though he said it is below the one-time level of $1 million to $1.2 million a year.
However, he said the numbers may be higher this year, noting the number of parcels has risen and a number of new buildings are going up.
The trustee's office this year replaced its aging server and office hardware and software.
However, he said he "runs a tight ship," noting that he has resisted a call for buying an office shredder.
Commission members asked for more information about what the Fort Hill Cemetery Association does with $18,000 it gets annually from the city and county.
County Mayor D. Gary Davis said the annual financial report says the money is spent for mowing.
Commissioner Charlotte Peak-Jones said, "I've got 30 acres and I don't spend $18,000 on mowing.
The association tends part of the cemetery, and the county the rest. The sheriff's office recently took over the duties from the county highway department. Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber praised the work of the sheriff crews for the mowing and tending to head stones.
Commissioner Peak-Jones, noting another unfavorable incident involving the Cleveland Police Department, said, "Maybe we should let Sheriff (Eric) Watson take it over. I'm sure he can straighten it out."