Resident urges county commissioners to approve tax increase to shore up budget

At a county public meeting, a resident and property owner urged the Board of County Commissioners to approve a property-tax increase to address what she described as declining revenues and an insufficient fiscal cushion. The commenter, who said she is a Republican and has training in economics and finance, told commissioners she supports the tax increase to stabilize county services and finances.

"I am in support of the tax increase because I think our county needs it," the resident said, adding that departments she spoke with have shown budget shortfalls and that revenue cuts from state and federal sources have contributed to deficits. "We cannot keep operating on skeleton budgets. And when something goes wrong, we don't have the money to pay for what we need."

The resident said she and her husband own about 400 acres in the county and that rising assessed values mean their tax bill would increase even without a change in the tax rate. She said that, when making decisions, she asks what would benefit the whole community over the next 10 to 20 years and asked the commissioners to take a similar long-term view.

She described reviewing department budgets and speaking with county staff about causes of shortfalls, and said some shortfalls were caused by reduced revenues or cuts in state and federal funding. The commenter said she has a background in economics and finance and cited that experience when describing why she supports the increase.

The remarks were made during the public-comment portion of the meeting; no formal motion or vote on a tax increase occurred during the time covered in the transcript.