The Rhea County Commission met in a special called meeting Tuesday and voted a 15-cent property tax increase. But an outcry from citizens caused the commission to hold another special session on Friday afternoon and lower the tax hike to 10 cents.
The earlier action moved the property tax rate from $2.09 per $100 of assessed value
to $2.24. The action on Friday put it to $2.19.
Commissioner Tom Smith made the motion to set the tax rate after the commission rescinded the 15-cent increase. The vote went 5 to 4.
Both County Executive George Thacker and Commission Chairman Harold Fisher told the group that they have been receiving calls and even text messages, especially from the elderly and those on fixed incomes, about the looming tax increase.
Commissioners discussed for over an hour with County Executive Thacker and Finance Director Kim Blaylock on possibilities of making more cuts to the budget, using TVA impact money, or using the fund balance to make up the over $700,000 deficit in the budget.
County Executive Thacker also said there are some possibilities on the horizon of more funds coming into the county on several projects that were being worked on by his office and the Rhea/Dayton Economic Community Development Board.
Commissioner Terry Broyles reminded the members that the TVA impact money the county receives every year is used to buy at least three school buses to keep the fleet within the state requirements.
The vote on Tuesday was 7-1 in favor of the 15-cent increase. The only no vote was from Bill Davault.
Commissioner Doyle Montgomery was absent from the Tuesday meeting. By Friday, he had been replaced by Sandy Francisco, who defeated him in the August election.
Officials on Tuesday said they had made all the cuts that were possible.