Giles County commissioners reject proposed 28% property tax increase, send budgets back to committee

Giles County commissioners voted 20–1 on a motion to reject and return three proposed FY2025–26 budget resolutions to the budget committee and to hold a work session July 3 to continue deliberations.

The vote came after more than an hour of discussion among commissioners and a series of public comments criticizing a proposed 28% property tax increase. Commissioner Hrabowski moved to reject resolutions 28, 29 and 30 and send them back to the budget committee; the motion passed 20–1.

The public comment period had several speakers who said the proposed increase was too large and asked for additional transparency and time for review. Gabby Roberts urged commissioners to vote no and to “do a deep dive into alternative revenue sourcing.” Leah Haley asked for more transparency on line items and recommended an informal public forum before the committee reconvenes. Thomas King told commissioners they had not done sufficient one-on-one review of departmental budgets.

Commissioners who opposed the proposed increase raised concerns about the immediate burden on taxpayers and discussed alternatives including targeted departmental cuts, delaying capital projects, and combining a smaller property tax increase with a vehicle (“wheel”) tax referendum. Commissioner Madore said 28% “is too much of a burden to bear, especially all at once,” and warned cuts could mean fewer roads paved or losing emergency medical services staff. Several commissioners emphasized preserving pay increases for frontline EMS personnel and not cutting school renovation funding that the school board planned to finance from an over-collection mechanism.

County officials warned of administrative consequences if a budget is not adopted by July 1. The county finance director and county attorney explained that operating on a continuing resolution would freeze raises and some hires, require retroactive pay adjustments when a final budget is adopted, and could conflict with timing in school contracts and hiring. Officials said those constraints could complicate summer hiring for schools and the county and increase administrative workload.

Commissioners directed the budget committee and staff to continue work. The motion to send the budgets back resets the schedule: the commission will hold a July 3 work session and, if needed, follow-up meetings July 7–8, with any required public hearing and a later full-commission vote to adopt a final budget.

Votes at the meeting also included other routine budget amendments and approvals (separate actions summarized in the meeting’s votes roundup). The decision to send the budget back to committee does not itself adopt or enact any tax change.

The public can expect the budget committee work session July 3 and additional public hearings and meetings before any final tax rate or budget is adopted.