After a heated county commission meeting and 20 people making public comments, a tax levy passed with a 6-4 vote.
LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. — After a heated few weeks in Loudon County Commission meetings, with well over a dozen community members speaking out against a tax levy, commissioners voted to pass a $0.25 property increase Monday. The money will be used to fund projects including school improvements and a new school building.
The same night in Lenoir City, the council voted to reduce the property tax rate by 5%. Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens said the hope was to relieve the burden from the county tax increase.
The tax levy in Loudon County will increase the county’s property tax from about $1.51 to $1.76 per $100 of assessed property.
The tax increase will pay for $115 million worth of school projects, including a new school in the northern part of the county, built on land acquired from the First Baptist Church Lenoir City, according to commissioners.
Other parts of the project include a stadium and auxiliary gym for Greenback High School, and renovations to Philadelphia Elementary School.
During the meeting, Bobby Johnson, the Vice Chair of the Loudon County School Board, touted extreme growth in the county and said the board and county had “done their homework.”
“We’ve never seen growth like this,” Johnson said.
Several people opposed presentations of growth numbers by the district. Many called for an independent study for the need of a new school and also wanted a traffic study.
“For $115 million, it is well worth it to spend $100,000 on a new independent study,” said Richard Pope, a Loudon County resident.
Commissioner Rosemary Quillen, who represents District 2 where the school would be located, asked the tax levy to be reconsidered until further studies could be made. That vote failed.
Commissioners Van Shaver, Bill Satterfield, Gary Whitfield, Joe Morrison, Chase Randolph and Bill Geames voted to increase the tax rate to help pay for school projects. Commissioners Quillen, William Jenkins, Henry Cullen and Adam Waller voted against the tax increase.
After the vote, commissioner Jenkins asked Mayor Buddy Bradshaw to veto the tax levy.
Chasey Hachmann, who spoke out last Monday at the commission meeting, said to WBIR via text message that a group of people are planning to show up with signs outside the Mayor’s office, asking him to veto the tax increase.
