Anderson County board proposes 4% school tax notice; one member objects

The Anderson County Board of Education held a special called meeting to propose the 2027 school tax rate and voted to advertise a proposed 4% rate with exonerations for public notice.

Presenter Mister White told the board the county's total assessed value rose from $2,411,000,000 to $2,638,000,000 and presented revenue estimates under different options. "The overall assessment value for Anderson County went from 2,411,000,000 last year to 2,638,000,000 this year," he said, and showed the 4% (59.6¢) proposal would be expected to produce about $15,726,000 in local revenue compared with roughly $15,145,000 under the compensating rate.

Board members then moved to advertise the 4% rate with exonerations for the statutorily required two consecutive weeks of newspaper notice; the motion carried on roll-call. One member, Mister Sargent, explained he would vote no, saying he feared the public would only read a headline about a "4% increase" and not understand the nuance that some taxpayers could pay less. "I'm gonna vote no tonight... The first thing they're gonna read when they get the paper is a 4% increase," he said.

Under the procedure explained at the meeting, the current step was only to publish the proposed rate; a separate meeting will be required to adopt the final tax rate after the two-week notice period. The presenter noted rates above 4% are subject to additional hearings and recall provisions, so the board selected an option that triggers the required notice but is not recallable under the guidance cited.