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Franklin County administrator proposes 3-cent real-estate and 2% meals tax increases, plus $20M borrowing, to fund FY27
Summary
New county administrator Mr. Sandy proposed raising the real-estate tax from 43 to 46 cents and the county meals tax from 4% to 6%, and outlined use of a recent $20 million borrowing for capital projects; the package would fund $3.1M in additional school operating support and other county priorities in a proposed ~$192.8M budget.
At his first budget presentation to the Board, County Administrator Mr. Sandy said the proposed FY27 county budget is a high-level, strategic package that responds to operating inflation, school funding pressures, and long-standing capital needs.
Mr. Sandy reviewed strategic priorities (community safety, educational opportunity, planned growth, economic development, responsible government operations, and conservation) and highlighted projects funded or in development: consolidation of green-box waste collection sites into manned collection centers, broadband expansion initiatives (Chantel, River Street, Zitel projects covering several thousand household connections), completion of improvements at Ben Franklin Middle School, and the county's recent purchase of the Modicraft property to host public-safety, E-911 and CTE functions.
He noted the county recently borrowed $20 million to advance capital needs and proposed that FY27 revenues include a 3‑cent real-estate tax increase (estimated to raise about $3.2 million) and a 2‑point increase in the meals tax (from 4% to 6%, estimated to raise about $750,000). Mr. Sandy described these changes as part of a balanced proposal that would increase the overall county budget to about $192,842,321, roughly a 5% increase year over year.
Mr. Sandy also described a state-level option that could become available after the General Assembly: a proposed additional 1% countywide sales tax dedicated for school construction and renovation subject to a local referendum. He said, if adopted by voters and generating roughly $7 million annually, that revenue would materially change how the county finances big-ticket school capital projects but would still likely be paired with borrowing to complete work.
Supervisors were reminded of critical dates: budget books would be available that evening; the board must advertise a tax rate by March 26; a proposed budget public hearing is scheduled for April 14; and budget adoption is tentatively set for April 21. Mr. Sandy said more detailed discussions would occur in scheduled work sessions.
