Commissioners approve surplus-equipment auction and short budget transfers; tax-rate briefing shows valuation rise

Limestone County officials approved motions to auction surplus equipment and to move short-term funds between budget lines to cover bridge and road projects, and they received a fiscal briefing showing a notable rise in the county's taxable value.

Speaker 1 introduced a list of surplus equipment submitted by Golden Bridge and asked whether specific items should be auctioned. The body recorded a motion and second and the transcript shows the motion passed. The same discussion noted an equipment list and a specific equipment value cited by Speaker 1 as "$188,197." Officials discussed the mechanics of auction receipts and whether proceeds could be returned to the appropriate lines after sale.

County staff and commissioners debated available balances in the road-materials line and monthly revenue estimates (roughly $30,000 per month). Speaker 1 proposed moving $150,000 out of one line and $40,000 out of a material line to cover bridge and road needs; that transfer motion was moved and recorded as passed.

In a separate presentation, Speaker 6 briefed the body on taxable values and tax-rate calculations for the year. "This year's value was $2,794,347,551," Speaker 6 said, adding that the increase from last year was "$216,053,075." Staff listed the county's "no new revenue" rate at 0.548, the voter-approval rate at 0.5759, and an adjusted voter-approval ceiling of 0.629, which the presenter said is the maximum rate the county may adopt without triggering a rollback election requirement.

Next steps: department staff will post surplus-equipment details and proceed with auction steps; bookkeeping adjustments will be made to reflect approved transfers; tax-rate publication deadlines were noted and further budget workshops or meetings were suggested to finalize rate decisions.