Jackson commissioners delay budget adoption
Jackson County commissioners will again meet to discuss the county’s annual budget on June 24.
Jackson County government photo
Faced with a mounting backlog of infrastructure needs, Jackson County commissioners have failed to agree on a basic annual budget yet continue to insist they can accurately forecast the added costs to taxpayers of withdrawing from the Fontana Regional Library system.
After more than an hour of contentious public comment on possible FRL withdrawal, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners reviewed a proposed $107 million general fund budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, presented by County Manager Kevin King. The proposed budget includes a substantial tax hike.
Commissioners already held a public hearing for the proposed budget and were expected to adopt the budget ordinance at the June 17 meeting — but that’s not what happened.
The general fund budget for the current fiscal year is $94 million; however, a recent countywide property revaluation produced a substantial increase in property values on the order of 60%.
The revenue-neutral property tax rate based on the new values is $0.2689 per $100 in assessed property value, per King, but the proposed budget includes a rate of 32 cents. Although that’s down from the current 38-cent rate, because values are now so much higher, the 32-cent rate translates to a steep property tax increase for all residents of Jackson County.
A major factor in the increase is the county’s capital plan, which includes several school infrastructure projects.
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An increase in teacher supplements, an increase in pay for detention officers at a jail that has seen a number of suspicious deaths over the past few years and a $70,000 contribution to the Junior ROTC program aren’t part of the county’s spending problem — they’re offset by cuts to the county’s greenway program, King said.
“We’ve got to do something for the average taxpayer,” said Commissioner Michael Jennings. “Our rate’s going down, but the total amount [on property tax bills] is going up. Nobody wants to cut services, but we’ve got to do something. If this rate’s going to stay at 32 cents — I don’t know if we need more time, if we need to do an interim budget … I don’t know what the options are. I’m the newest one here.”
Chairman Mark Letson told Jennings that the state requires local governments to adopt a budget ordinance before July 1 each year.
The proposed budget includes new spending commitments upward of $150 million on capital improvements countywide.
“I just want the taxpayers to know where the money’s going because somebody’s going to be asking questions why their taxes are going up so much,” Jennings said. “It’s not because we’re not trying to keep it down.”
“The problem is,” said Chairman Mark Letson, “and we’ve said it multiple times, a band-aid has been put on so many of these projects for many, many, many years, and it’s been just sidestep, sidestep, sidestep. So now, we’ve got a board and we’ve got a great [school] superintendent that is pushing for upgrades and we’ve got an opportunity to do that now.”
Commissioner Jenny Hooper, whose very presence on the board has been under scrutiny by some who allege she doesn’t live in the district she represents, said she’d like to get the rate down to 30 cents “to help protect the taxpayers” but didn’t offer any ideas on how to do that.
King mentioned neighboring Macon County, which has one of the lowest tax rates in the state. Part of the reason for that, King said, is that Macon County, like many other counties, has an additional fire tax above and beyond its property tax. Jackson County pays for fire protection out of its general fund, to the tune of $7 million a year.
“If you take that out, you’d be in the 29-cent [range],” King said.
Commissioners then launched into a prolonged and complicated discussion of what a countywide fire tax would look like, but it’s not clear if making such a last-minute change on the proposed budget is feasible or financially prudent. Regardless, taxpayers wouldn’t see much of a savings — a cut in the property tax rate would end up being offset, at least partially, by a new fire tax.
Hooper continued to press for a 30-cent rate, still without offering any ideas on how to get there.
“I don’t think we can this year; I just don’t,” said Commissioner John Smith.
“If you look at the major drivers, unless you just want to stop projects or stop the fire coverage — those are the big drivers at this point,” King said.
Letson asked commissioners if they felt they needed to hold another meeting on the proposed budget but didn’t get a strong response either way. He then asked for a motion to approve the budget. Commissioner Todd Bryson made the motion, which was seconded by Commissioner John Smith.
When the Board's clerk called on commissioners for a voice vote, she started with Jennings, who rubbed his brow in frustration and instead asked for one more week to consider the budget. Hooper interjected with a word for support for Jennings and then made a motion to table the budget adoption.
Hooper’s motion passed unanimously, and Letson scheduled another meeting for June 24 at 6 p.m.
The move comes as commissioners continue to consider withdrawal from the FRL system, which if current service levels are maintained is expected to cost $500,000 annually, not including transition and startup costs of up to $300,000.
Some speakers at recent public comment sessions have brought up the specter of costly lawsuits that could ensue — as in Yancey County — if the county withdraws.
The real costs, however, won’t be known unless and until commissioners actually vote to withdraw and have a go at the library business for the first time in more than 80 years.
A joint meeting between Jackson County commissioners and the FRL board is scheduled for June 19 at 5:30 p.m.
