Staff writer
Road and bridge funding may push Marion County property taxes higher in 2011, accountant Scot Loyd told county commissioners Monday.
The proposed road and bridge and special bridge budgets for 2011 would cause a 3.8-mill increase from 2010, but the budgets are likely to be cut before the county determines its final spending plan.
A budget with no increase in property taxes is possible, Loyd said, but that could require transferring a lot of money from capital improvement funds.
A mill is one-tenth of a percent of a property’s assessed value. Residential buildings have a lower assessment than commercial buildings with the same appraised value, for example.
For a residential property, one mill is approximately 12 cents of property taxes per $1,000 of actual value.
Loyd will meet with commissioners at 8 a.m. Thursday and Aug. 9.
Last year, the county levy increased 0.071 mills.
In other business:
- County clerk’s office employees Tina Spencer, Deborah Shahan, Cherry Miller, and Rhonda Toal will receive raises for new duties. The new duties are a result of replacing a retiring full-time employee with a part-time employee. Spencer’s salary will increase from $2,763 to $2,913 per month; Shahan, from $1,817 to $2,117; Miller, from $1,817 to $2,017; and Toal, from $1,822 to $2,022. Commissioners approved the raises after a 10-minute closed session with Clerk Carol Maggard.
- Cooperative Grain and Supply of Hillsboro will supply the Road and Bridge Department with 5,500 gallons of diesel and 2,500 gallons of unleaded gasoline for $18,973. Cardie Oil Company of Tampa bid $19,242.
- Clinton Jeffrey will be a part-time reserve officer for the sheriff’s department, at $10.30 an hour.
- County employees are documenting flood damage from storms between June 7 and 25 for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
- Sheriff Rob Craft met with commissioners in closed session for five minutes to discuss jail personnel. No action was taken on return to open session.
- Addresses for homes at Eastshore were not changed in the mapping and deeds offices when the county changed its rural address system in 1994. Register of Deeds Jo Ottensmeier said the Gale Township board must make changes to the plat for her to change county records.
- Tonya Richards, director of Planning and Zoning and Environmental Health, will send letters to property owners regarding complaints about illegal dumping and junk vehicles.
- Agri-Producers Inc. of Tampa will supply 50 gallons of Dicamba, 60 gallons of Tordon 22k, and 30 gallons of Crossbow to the Noxious Weed Department for $5,772. Markley Service of Marion bid $6,071, and Ag Service of Hillsboro bid $6,691. Markley Service will supply 256 ounces of Escort XP for $1,421. Ag Service bid $2,304.