Cheatham County budget workshop proposes 16.15¢ property tax increase to fund jail opening, salary adjustments and services

Cheatham County Mayor presented the budget committee's recommended fiscal 2025-26 county budget at a public workshop on Monday, June 16, 2025, proposing a 16.15-cent increase to the county property tax rate to cover contract and personnel costs, the expansion of jail operations and other department needs.

"We are here tonight to bring to the full commission recommendation of the budget committee that has been meeting over the last several weeks," the mayor said during the presentation. The proposal would raise the county's overall property tax rate to about $1.753 per $100 of assessed value when combined with existing levy components; the presenter said the increase would add roughly $167 a year for a homeowner of median value in Cheatham County ($412,500 under the county's figures).

The budget committee framed the increase as necessary to fund several "uncontrollable" costs and multi-year commitments. Those items included longevity pay increases, the second half of a salary-study implementation, and a state-driven increase in employer retirement contributions. The presenter said uncontrollable increases total about $2,216,006.27 and would account for 11.17 cents of the proposed tax change.

Fire tax: the committee recommends leveling contracts

The committee recommended leveling the county's rural fire tax at 17.53 cents per $100 of assessed value for the upcoming four-year contract cycle. The mayor said that option would hold the rural fire tax at a steady rate for four years rather than keeping the current 13.95-cent rate for one year and allowing larger step increases in subsequent years. He noted that the county does not collect the fire tax inside the corporate limits of Pleasant View, Kingston Springs or Ashland City and that commercial and industrial assessments do not generate the same per-penny revenue on the fire levy.

Jail opening and staffing are major cost drivers

A substantial portion of the requested increase is tied to operating the county's new jail and related personnel.…