School board & Bath council up tax rates, while county cuts back

Property taxes will be about 2.2% higher for most Morgan Countians when the bills go out in July.

Last week, the Morgan County School Board and the Bath Town Council officially upped their tax rates for the fiscal year starting July 1.

Meantime, the Morgan County Commissioners dropped the county government tax rate by a fraction for the second straight year.

The school board hiked the special school levy rate, resulting in a tax hike of about $27.60 for a home in the county valued at $200,000 and assessed at $120,000.

The commissioners’ tax cut will drop taxes by about 48-cents on the same house.

So, a home with a market value of $200,000 will now be taxed at about $1,250 compared to $1,223 last year.

The Bath Town Council’s new tax rate will raise taxes on a similarly priced home by an additional $3.35. Within the town limits, the bill for a $200,000 home will be about $1,342 compared to $1,311 last year.
Businesses are taxed at twice the home rate in each jurisdiction.

County government
Morgan County Commissioners Brenda Hutchinson, Stacy Dugan and Tommy Swaim unanimously voted for their new tax rate during a special meeting on Tuesday morning, April 20.

County officials expect to bring in $3,394,750 from property taxes this year versus $3,455,216 received last year.

Schools
The Morgan County School Board voted unanimously to approve their levy rates on Tuesday evening.

The special levy tax increase will bring in an additional $307,120 in school revenue. About two-thirds of the money is earmarked for the school’s Capital Improvement Fund.

Some $104,000 would go into the general fund for technology tools, alternative school computers and furniture, team leader and technology coordinator raises, increased sick leave incentive and raising the salary cap for teachers who have worked for 35 to 40 years.

Town of Bath
The Bath Council set their tax levy during their regular meeting on Tuesday morning.

Mayor Susan Webster said the increase is to provide police with needed equipment and to start replacing police vehicles on a rotating basis.
Noting that the town has about $85,000 in the general fund and $67,900 in a reserve fund, Councilman Jim Slough asked why there seemed to be an excess of funds.

Councilman David Crosby said the town has benefited from “a significant increase in police work and money coming in through municipal court.”
Slough asked if the town could revise the budget and tax rate based on the increase in funds.

Webster said the town had never revised the budget before, but asked the Finance Committee to look into the question.