Russell County supervisors held a public hearing on the 2025 proposed real-estate tax rate and heard more than an hour of public comment urging the board to lower the rate rather than pass an increase. The board did not set a tax rate at the meeting and scheduled a reconvened session for Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

The hearing matters because county property assessments rose sharply this year, meaning even an unchanged rate could raise taxpayers’ bills; supervisors and county staff said they are balancing those assessment-driven revenue gains against new expenses including a larger regional jail bill, rising insurance and utility costs, and school system requests for pay steps and a supplemental raise.

County administrator Lonzo Lesher presented the assessment and budget numbers to the board and the public. Lesher said the county’s assessed value rose from about $1.485 billion to about $1.933 billion, an increase of roughly $468 million (about 23.5 percent overall). He told the audience that, based on the new assessment roll, lowering the tax rate to 48.23 cents per $100 of assessed value would return the county to roughly the same gross revenue it received last year despite higher assessments. "What you want is the board of supervisors to lower that rate back down to 48.23. That's that's the magic number," Lesher said during his presentation.

Lesher and staff also identified three major new cost drivers the board must absorb: a roughly $580,000 increase tied to the county’s share of the regional jail, mandatory foster care/CSA costs that can recur during the fiscal year, and rising operational costs such as insurance and energy. Lesher said the county is pursuing state and regional help on the jail expense and is asking departments to trim noncontractual line items by about 10 percent; he said those department-level cuts would total roughly $140,000.

School officials and teachers’ advocates urged supervisors to preserve a multiyear pay-step program for teachers and to include a 1 percent local supplement in the budget. JJ Eaton, who identified herself as a member of the Russell County school board, said the 1 percent local supplement averages about $244,000 and that the district also must accept the state’s 3 percent raise for SOQ-funded positions. Eaton said the local step program restored after prior cuts has helped recruitment and retention and that losing the step would undo years of progress.

Residents urged the board to limit tax increases and to target relief to seniors and residents on fixed incomes. Doug Mays, who identified himself as a Lebanon resident, asked the board to consider additional relief for people age 67 and older; other commenters asked the county to raise the income/net-worth thresholds and the dollar amount for the senior exemption. Alicia Lawson, who said she works in social services, said her office is seeing more residents come in unable to pay utilities and taxes.

Several residents called on supervisors to use the assessment increase to reduce the tax rate so individual bills do not rise. A local resident identified as Cody, a pharmacist, urged the board to calculate the average assessment increase and lower the rate so the "average" homeowner would pay roughly the same as last year: "If we use 40% ... bring the rate down to where those numbers match," he said. Sandy, another member of the public, said a 50- to 55-cent rate would be tolerable but that "60¢ is not acceptable."

The meeting also included a lengthy exchange about the county’s property-mapping and tax-ticketing systems. Multiple speakers and supervisors discussed a long-running discrepancy in acreage and parcels that appears to omit surface-tax tickets for some mineral owners; board members said the county will pursue GIS corrections and may contract outside help to recover unpaid surface taxes. A volunteer researcher and other speakers said the county may be missing tens of thousands of acres on the tax rolls and urged an expedited review.

Supervisors affirmed they are continuing to work with state officials and legislators to try to reduce the county’s jail bill and to pursue economic development projects that could bring new revenue. Several board members and staff said potential new businesses are in process but that associated tax revenues typically show up on a calendar-year timetable and may not affect the current fiscal-year budget.

No vote on the tax rate occurred. The board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and later voted to adjourn and reconvene next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. for further budget discussions. The administrator and other staff said they will publish updated budget packets and continue negotiations before the reconvened meeting.

The board encouraged residents with assessment concerns to meet with the county equalization board; staff said the equalization board is still taking appeals and that abatements can be issued after books are run if the board adjusts exemptions or rates.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented — moved by an unnamed attendee who made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Hensley; voice vote approved (no opposed recorded).
- Motion to adjourn and reconvene Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. — seconded by Commissioner Hensley; voice vote approved (no opposed recorded).

What’s next

Supervisors said they will continue negotiations with state and regional partners on the jail expense, run updated budget scenarios based on the county’s base-revenue needs, and publish revised budget materials before the reconvened meeting. Staff asked residents with assessment or exemption questions to contact the assessor’s office or the equalization board for an appointment.