The Washington County Council is researching ways to bring more money into the county's coffers. And some of the ways being considered require dipping deeper into the pockets of Washington County taxpayers.
During their meeting Monday, May 6, council members asked their attorney, Mark Clark, to gather information about several different potential sources of revenue.
David Hoar, president of the council, led the discussion, following up with talks he has had with Kim Chapman, with the state board of accounts. He mentioned that an increase in property taxes is already a known fact.
"The new jail is going to increase taxes," Hoar said. "There is no doubt about it."
Property taxes are going to be used to pay off bonds covering the costs of renovating and adding on to the jail. Council members know operating expenses for the facility will increase and are trying to come up with an estimate of how much and determine where to find those additional dollars.
"You know you are going to have operational increases, you know the cost of heat will increase, you know the cost of utility bills is going to increase," Clark cautioned.
Hoar said one possibility is establishing just one cumulative fund, replacing three that are now in place. Those three are for Delaney Park, the jail and the county courthouse. Hoar said with one cumulative fund, the tax rate could be raised from .015 to as much as .33 cents, which would generate $150,000.
Another idea is the implementation of a public safety income tax, which could be used for certain expenses in the sheriff's budget. That would be tied to property tax relief.
A third source is participating in a program offered by the state which would bring additional funds for road maintenance, as much as $627,000. Hoar said counties that have a wheel tax in place will get a greater piece of that pie. He said 67 counties have the wheel tax. "I don't like any of these," Hoar said. "But we've got to be realistic about what's going on." ... http://www.salemleader.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=6773&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=20&S=1 |
