Skip Stephan, vice president of the Lake of Egypt Property Owners Association, told the Williamson County Board of Commissioners he and other residents want clearer information about upcoming property tax rates and raised concerns about recent high sales prices and investor purchases increasing assessed values around the lake.

“There's a lot of investors buying homes,” Stephan said during public comment, and he noted that buyers often sell property furnished with boats and docks, which can inflate reported sale prices. Stephan asked whether the county could recover revenue other than through property tax increases, suggesting the board look at classifying short-term rental properties and related rentals as businesses.

Commissioner Ashley (first name not recorded) explained the county administers the local hotel occupancy tax but that the revenues are passed to Williamson County Tourism (or similar local tourism entity) under the statute and the county retains a small administrative portion (about 2%), generating roughly $5,000–$8,000 annually from new short-term-rental collections in the Lake of Egypt area. Board members and staff explained that most of the county tax bill is driven by school and other levies outside the county board’s control.

Staff suggested property buyers who purchase homes furnished with boats and docks should submit itemized lists of those non-real-property items to the assessor’s office; the assessor’s office will consider adjustments to separate personal property from the real-estate sale price.

Stephan and residents asked the board to examine options that might limit tax burdens on permanent residents, including closer review of short‑term rental business activity.