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Giles County approves motor-vehicle privilege tax and $8.5M bond issue after county executive warns of structural deficit
Summary
Facing an estimated $1.8 million shortfall, Giles County commissioners on Feb. 17 approved an amended motor-vehicle privilege (wheel) tax and authorized up to $8.5 million in general-obligation bonds — with repayment stretched to 20 years — to fund a courthouse renovation and shore up capital needs.
Giles County commissioners voted Feb. 17 to adopt a county-wide motor-vehicle privilege tax and to authorize up to $8.5 million in general-obligation bonds to fund a previously approved courthouse renovation, after County Executive Graham Stowe told the body the county faces a structural budget deficit.
Stowe told commissioners the county has repeatedly used reserve funds to balance past budgets and that those actions now leave the county about $1.8 million short for the 2025–26 fiscal year. “The root of the problem is a structural deficit,” Stowe said, adding that past transfers from reserve Fund 189 removed capital cushions that would otherwise pay for projects such as the courthouse and EMS stations.
The commission approved Resolution 2026-18, the motor-vehicle privilege tax measure, after debate over exemptions and ballot timing.…
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