CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) In a special session Monday, that lasted almost three hours, the Montgomery County Commission approved a new budget with a property tax rate of $2.99 per $100 of assessed value by a vote of 11-8 for fiscal year 2019-20.
County Mayor Jim Durrett proposed to keep the current tax rate of $3.07. This would have actually been an increase, following this year’s Montgomery County property reappraisal as the new state certified revenue tax rate was $2.57.
The commissioners went back and forth throughout the evening voting on various rates from $2.57 to $3.07 with failed votes on each. Finally, Commissioner Loretta Bryant hit the ‘winning number’ with a rate of $2.99.
Bryant talked about picking a tax rate of $2.99, on which the majority of commissioners could agree. “The $3.00 had been proposed and we just kind of danced all around it. That was under the three dollars but it would still do 90 percent of what we needed to do,” said Bryant.
Mayor Durrett had proposed keeping the $3.07 property tax rate which has been the rate for the past four years. He argued it would help the county take care of needed projects in the future, offer more competitive wages for employees, and help avoid the county having to borrow more money.
A recent study shows that county workers, especially public safety employees, are seeking jobs elsewhere. After the meeting Durrett said with the $2.99 tax rate the county may have to borrow more money.
“It’s probably going to make us have to borrow about $4 million, so we’ll look at that and see what’s going to be the best thing for Montgomery County to do as far as the least expensive way we can borrow it,” Durrett said.