Proposed budget down 8%; real estate tax ra
te recommended for cut
Henry County Administrator Benny Summerlin’s proposed FY 2010 County Budget totals about 8% less than the current budget and includes a reduction in the real estate tax rate for citizens.
Summerlin presented his proposed FY 2010 Budget to the Board of Supervisors this afternoon. The budget totals $117,516,572, which is about $10.2 million less than the current County budget.
Summerlin’s proposal also calls for the real estate tax rate to drop to 46 cents per $100 of assessed value. The current real estate rate is 54 cents per $100. The County reassessed home values in 2008, and that reassessment increased values an average of 16.5%. With the proposed reduction in the tax rate, Henry County would in effect see less than a 1% increase in the amount of real estate tax revenue.
“Staff recommends no tax increase in FY ’10, for the same reason as expressed in years past – our residents simply cannot afford it,” Summerlin said to the Board.
County employees will not receive a pay raise under Summerlin’s proposal. While no employee layoffs were recommended, Summerlin indicated that the reduced budget will mean reduced services for citizens in a time when they need services more than ever.
“The reductions and impact are too numerous to list here,” Summerlin said, “but examples include reduced mowing in our parks, less employee training, less preventative maintenance of our facilities, replacing worn out equipment and vehicles less often, etc.”