The Fayette County Commission plans to hold a second budget public hearing and then adopt the $75 million general fund operating budget at the Thursday, June 22 meeting at 5 p.m. at the county administrative center in Fayetteville. The first hearing was held June 8.
The county plans to maintain its current millage rate. But there’s a catch: To bring in that money into county coffers will require an effective 9.5% property tax increase for most property owners. It’s not a tax millage rate hike, but keeping the same millage rate will bring in nearly 10% more tax revenue in the coming fiscal year than it did in the current year. Simply put, if your property has risen in assessed value since last year, your tax bills will increase accordingly.
The county-owned water system and solid waste budgets bring the total revenues of the operating budget to just under $127 million. Both systems basically pay their own way with user fees.
Below are graphics from the budget presentation:
Would someone from Fayette County please explain why this budget / tax increase is necessary? It appears that county expenses (and thus our taxes) have far outpaced inflation and population growth.
Inflation has raised costs by 28% from 2014 to 2023. The population of Fayette County has grown from 109,259 in 2014 to 122,983 in 2023, or an increase of 13,724 (12.5%).
Yet by the presentation slide above, county general fund expenses have risen from less than $45 million in 2014 to a budgeted $75 million in FY 2024. That’s $30 million more, or a 66.6% increase. Why?