By Tony Farkas
[email protected]
GROVETON — The Trinity County Commissioners Court gave its approval to leaving the property tax rate alone, even though the county is facing increased costs across the board.
County Judge Danny Martin said during the Aug. 27 that inflation a chief problem for the county; the actual inflation rate in the county is 27.2 percent, he said, higher than the 19 percent national average.
Commissioner Mike Loftin said the cost of living, insurance, Social Security have all increased.
Even so, Commissioner Neal Smith said that if the county leaves taxes exactly where they’re at, 0.539 per $100 valuation, it will bring in an additional $505,048, and “I feel that’s where it ought to be.”
While the proposed budget has not yet been approved, it does reflect a 25 percent increase to the appropriations for the county’s fire departments and a 1.5 percent increase for county employees.
However, the court chose to give elected officials a 1.99 percent raise to make salaries an even $50,000 annually, giving those employees an average of $939 per year additional income.
The court set Sept. 24 as the date for a public hearing on the proposed 2024-25 budget and tax rate.
In a related matter, the court approved the property tax roll submitted by the Trinity County Appraisal District and reviewed the no-new income and rollback tax rates.
In other business, the court:
• approved invoices for disaster-related purchases;
• approved the sale of surplus trailers from the Road and Bridge Department;
• approved a $1,500 donation to pet fixers from capital credit funds for animal control in the county;
• approved hauling services from Griner and Griner for hauling road materials;
• approved a county credit card for newly appointed Constable Mark Jones;
• set Oct. 5 as a county cleanup day;
• approved a measure to begin requiring heavy haulers to get a permit from the county, particularly if their work causes damage to county roads;
• approved an agreement between Commissioner Tommy Park and Joey Fowler to use private land to address drainage issues on French Road;
• approved an agreement between Commissioner Steven Truss and James Ivy to use private land to address drainage on Sullivan Road in Apple Springs;
• approved the order of election for Nov. 5; and
• approved the holiday schedule for the county, with Smith stating that the various county departments essentially ignore the schedule, as well as close more frequently than they should.
Comment
Comments