White County budget committee sends $1.57 proposal to full commission after contested vote

The White County Budget Committee voted to send a proposed FY2026 budget that relies on a $1.57 per $100 assessed-value property tax rate to the full county commission for final approval after a roll-call vote at the committee meeting.

Committee members recorded the vote by name: Derek Hutchings, TK Austin and Debbie Cranford voted yes; Dwayne Robinson and Kyle Goff voted no. The motion passed and will appear on the full-court agenda for final action.

Committee members and staff framed the choice as a trade-off between raising property taxes now to add personnel and equipment and keeping rates lower while cutting planned hires and purchases. County staff presented the budget’s major cost items, including roughly $2.2 million for employee pay increases, about $154,000 for longevity pay and an approximately $108,000 increase for medical insurance. Staff also listed programmatic additions in the $1.57 proposal that would be reduced or omitted under lower-rate options: a full-time Emergency Management director, a full-time parks and recreation director, an assistant EMS director and four EMS positions needed to staff a full EMS shift, four additional patrol deputies, two mechanics for central maintenance, and two ambulance remounts (staff noted remounts cost roughly $210,000 each).

Supporters said the increases respond to rising operating costs and turnover. “We have two ambulances with more than 300,000 miles on them,” a committee member said during debate, noting upkeep and replacement needs. Opponents and several members of the public said a rate tied to the reappraisal would sharply increase tax bills for many residents, particularly retirees and homeowners on fixed incomes. At one point a commissioner noted the difference between the $1.57 and $1.50 proposals would be about $45 a year on a $300,000 house, a figure other speakers used to illustrate the scale of change.

Public commenters voiced widespread concern about reassessment results, the difficulty of appealing appraisals, and the effect of higher property taxes on small-business owners and retirees. Several residents urged the commission to seek alternative revenue — including pursuing grants and selling county-owned, unused parcels — before raising the property tax rate.

The committee approved the proposal for formal presentation to full court; the commission will vote on the full FY2026 budget at its next public meeting. If the full commission approves a tax rate different from the committee’s recommendation, that change will be reflected in the budget that is published for public review before final adoption.

Several commissioners urged more public information before the full-court vote, including a clear public summary of what would be funded at each rate option.