County approves slight property tax increase
The Brown County Council approved a slight increase to property taxes on Oct. 15 to help the Brown County Solid Waste department purchase a new truck to pick up recycling at satellite locations in the county.
The increase will be less than a penny on every $100 of assessed value, said Jacque Clemins, an Association of Indiana Counties budget consultant.
Prior to approving the budget increase for 2019, the council unanimously approved a budget reduction of $31,600 for solid waste for 2018.
“As I understand it, they are requesting that reduction because they won’t need those budgeted funds this year, but they will need them next year, and they would not have had the available revenue next year if they left this in their budget this year,” Brown County Auditor Beth Mulry said. “If we do a formal budget reduction for 2018, that will increase cash available for 2019, and they can budget for ’19 what they need.”
The council then approved an adopted budget of $461,030 for 2019 for solid waste, with a tax levy of $262,250, which is a 4.9 percent increase to help cover the purchase of a new truck.
“They fall under a different statute than a county does as far as the levy is concerned. They have the ability to increase their levy up to less than 5 percent without any additional approval,” Clemins said.
Solid waste Director Phil Stephens said that a new truck is needed “very badly.”
“Since I’ve been director, since the beginning of 2013, our repairs have been over $65,000 just on one vehicle. It really has to end. The truck is getting to a point where it’s becoming unsafe. It’s time for a new truck,” he said.
The truck is used to collect recycling from the satellite locations at the schools in the county.
The 2019 budget was approved unanimously.
The council also unanimously approved the Hamblen Fire Protection District budget and the county government’s budget.
The adopted budget for county government was $14,561,520, of funds the Department of Local Government Finance approves, Mulry said.
The adopted tax levy, including the jail payments, the new capital projects bond and cumulative capital fund, was $5,047,894.
A budget of zero was adopted for the Brown County Fire Protection District, which did not request any money.
Commissioners approve animal control contract
The Brown County Commissioners approved the 2019 Brown County Animal Control contract with the Brown County Humane Society for $45,000 at the Oct. 17 meeting.
The amount does not include an additional $10,000 to $15,000 the humane society will receive for its Serving Pets Outreach Team, or SPOT, said commissioner Diana Biddle.
SPOT volunteers go to pet owners’ homes and help with needs such as food, fencing or bedding, and SPOT provides low-cost spay and neuter services and specials.
The contract had already been approved by the Animal Control Commission and the humane dociety. Biddle said $45,000 is what the commissioners budgeted for the contract and that the contract remains unchanged from the past decade.
The contract that was approved in 2017 was for $37,500.
Biddle estimated that animal control takes in 30 to 50 dogs and cats a month to the the humane society.
