Lincoln County Residents Push Back Against Proposed Property Tax Increase

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Lincoln County residents showed up at a Tuesday night public forum held by the Lincoln County Budget Commission to voice their concerns regarding a proposed 52% property tax increase.

The forum, held at Ninth Grade Academy, gave residents an opportunity to question the board of commissioners about the proposed budget that, along with the rising property tax, also includes a large raise for city employees.

A survey from a previous meeting showed a tax range from 35% to 52%, according to residents. The board of commissioners stated that part of that tax would be allocated to local schools.

Residents were concerned about the portion of the tax used to add on a raise for city employees, specifically the Superintendent of Lincoln County Schools. The current salary is more than a quarter million dollars which “is more than the salary for the Governor of Tennessee,” per one resident.

Fayetteville Mayor Donna Hartman said, “We need to take care of our lower-paid employees, especially our police, our fire department, our sanitation department. These people are on the streets all the time. They’re working hard to take care of us.”

Many citizens noted that they did feel that firefighters and police officers should be paid more than they are currently receiving, but they also noted that many residents are having a hard time financially themselves.

Others expressed concern that additional property taxes would be a burden on seniors living on a fixed income. They argued that leaders should not put residents in the position of having to choose between paying taxes and purchasing groceries.

Former Commissioner Bill Shelton said, “You don’t spend money you don’t have.” He also stated that commissioners should not get any of the extra money because they were forcing residents to be “eating rice and beans.”

Fayetteville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen met Monday night to look at a proposed budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The regularly scheduled budget meeting will take place on June 13. Residents will be allowed to attend but will not have a chance to speak at that time.

Residents requested an opportunity to vote on the proposal, but the decision will be made in the Board’s June 20^th meeting.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com