Franklin County approves certified tax rate; commission fails to adopt consolidated budget

Chairman David Alexander presided over a special called session of the Franklin County Commission in Winchester on Aug. 1, where the commission approved the county's certified tax rate by roll call vote, 16–0.

Commissioner Greg King moved to approve the certified tax rate and Commissioner Michelle Earle seconded; the motion carried unanimously. The meeting packet included detailed rate schedules and estimates of assessed value and levy calculations (the packet lists example rates such as 1.6685 and 1.8753 per $100, with line-item allocations to funds and a county assessed valuation shown in the packet documents).

Later in the meeting a separate motion "to approve the annual budget" (moved by Commissioner Gene Snead and seconded by Commissioner Barbara Finney) failed on a roll-call vote reported in the minutes as 4 ayes and 12 nays. The minutes list each commissioner’s vote on that motion. The packet attached to the minutes contains the full appropriation resolution and budget schedules: the General Fund appropriation appears in the packet as $20,830,277 and the General Purpose School Fund as $50,173,953, but the commission did not adopt those appropriation resolutions at this session.

Following the failed budget motion, Chairman David Alexander asked the Franklin County Board of Education to take the school budget back and make adjustments before resubmission to the commission.

The commission’s decisions leave appropriation and budget implementation pending further review by the county and, in part, by other bodies referenced in the minutes. The minutes record that some funding allocations and tax-levy language were entered into the record; however, because the commission did not adopt the consolidated appropriation resolution at this meeting, the commission did not finalize the county's spending plan for fiscal year 2022–23.