Thu
Mar 21 2013
07:49 am
County Exec Warns of 25% Increase in Tax Rate
By: WhitesCreek

Predictions for the Roane County tax rate are not looking good.

This is a very complicated but very simple issue. Decisions made over the course of several decades have left us with a large backlog of capital needs and operational needs for our schools and other county functions. The County take over of the Harriman School system, its buildings, and its debt added with the failure to modernize and consolidate the Roane County system as a whole have left us in an untenable situation that will take a ton of money to fix. With the GOP bills to siphon off funding for local schools with vouchers and a state takeover of the charter system, our public schools face a grim future.

Here is the RCN Story (paywall)

We spent a ton of money on Industrial parks, one of which is not even in Roane County and which will return zero in property taxes. The other park seems to be populated with businesses lured by tax abatement and provides jobs mostly for Loudon and Knox County. We have repeatedly called for a balance sheet to see what we are getting for our money.

Currently the Roane County tax rate is $2.08 per $100 of property value. This is much higher than the surrounding counties and I think Woody's prediction of a 25% increase is wishful thinking. That will just about cover the reduction in revenue generated by the "Fair property Assessments" promised by our current Assessor's administration. Previous Assessor Kirkham publicly stated that assessments were 30% too high but that she was powerless to do anything about them, although she was cutting the assessment of one of her boyfriends by 50% or so at the exact same time.

If ten percent of what we are hearing is correct, things are about to get very messy involving the conduct of the Assessor's office during Kirkham's reign, not the least of which is her insistence in keeping property valuations excessively high in order to cover for the County Commission's poor management of county finances. We were somewhat surprised, but not shocked, that Kirkham was not indicted by the Grand Jury. There are more improprieties not brought to the Grand Jury which we think will come to light over time. This is not going to be pretty.

All that said, the bottom line is that Roane County faces a tax upheaval. Roane County property values have fallen considerably and property owners are being taxed on property value that isn't there. Woody stated that the current rate of $2.08 would have to rise 25% to $2.60 to just tread water. Add in Kirkham's figure of a 30% over valuation and the rate would go to $3.38 per $100 in a worst case scenario. We don't think that will actually happen but Roane County should expect a great deal of soul searching and pain as we set things right.

We will have to pay for their poor political decisions

Submitted by romanstone on March 21, 2013 - 3:10pm.

It's past time for reform like Metro government, consolidated government or better streamlined cooperative government. I don't really care what we call it, but we can't afford the duplications that we have. We cannot continue down the same path. People will leave.

The past has caught up with Ken Yager and some others. We will have to pay for their poor political decisions.

Chopping Block

Submitted by romanstone on March 22, 2013 - 9:36am.

We know the school system is a major part of the budget. It will be interesting to see what the other departments' and offices' budgets come in at. This will be a good indication if the other elected official and department managers are serious about our tax money. It's my understanding that the Register of Deeds has threatened to sue the commission if they didn't give her what she wanted in the past. With better technology, you would think that office’s budget could easily decrease. Who should also be on the chopping block?

And, the answer is:

Submitted by RoaneBooster on March 23, 2013 - 6:41pm.

what???

It is how it is. As WC said, it didn't get that way overnight, and there is no one person or issue to blame. I honestly don't think it can all be attributed to the standard villain of "oh it's just THOSE good ole boys and their bad politics" by folks who didn't have THEIR good ole boys in office. I think "politics as usual" did, of course, have some play in the situation, but I don't think we can honestly say the whole mess is simply cause by corruption or bad faith actions/decisions.

So how does the wisdom of the sages here on RoaneViews fix this? It really doesn't matter at this point who or what is to blame - we always love fixing blame. But that's the easy part. What do we DO to make it better?

I have felt - at least since the mid-70s - that we need to go metro. Yes, it is painful. So what? It would have been painful in the 70s, it's more painful now, and it will be even more painful the longer we put it off. Keep grunting and finally push that baby out! The bigger it grows over time the more it'll hurt!

RB

Keep grunting RB,

Submitted by farmer leaf on March 25, 2013 - 10:22am.

but you can't really fix stupid, and Roane County is chock full of that malaise. The regressive social and religious imprinting of the local population guarantees the continued slide downward as people continue to repeatedly vote for the same myopic morons to govern us.

Living and teaching Earth friendly sustainable agricultural practices.

(link...)
leaf@sustainability-teaching-farm.com

I'm really sorry, Farmer...

Submitted by RoaneBooster on March 25, 2013 - 10:38am.

... that we in Roane who were born and raised here are so far beneath the level of your superior intelligence and behavior. Perhaps the only way for our stupidity to be fixed is extermination so the superior ones can do what they know best to do - be superior. I'm amazed that you can tolerate having to grace us with your presence. We're simply lost without a savior in sight, and you have to live here.

RB

Cheese with the whine?

Submitted by farmer leaf on March 25, 2013 - 4:27pm.

"In order to change something, we do not try to change the existing model. We create a new model and make the old one obsolete."
Buckminster Fuller

Can't think outside your "homey" box? Sorry for you. Point made!

Living and teaching Earth friendly sustainable agricultural practices.

(link...)
leaf@sustainability-teaching-farm.com

I know what you meant but

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 25, 2013 - 5:00pm.

I know what you meant but it didn't come across that way. If we are going to change minds, every moment must be a teachable one, not just a rant. This is not winning friends for your points, Farmer. Be nice and try not to get personal whether intended or perceived.

No whine needed, but thanks anyway

Submitted by RoaneBooster on March 25, 2013 - 5:32pm.

The point made was how native Roane Countians are so far beneath you it's a supreme sacrifice for you to converse with them enough to tell them how stupid they are and how superior you are. Don't feel sorry for me - I'm at home in Roane County, and your attitude means you'll always be a foreigner with a superiority complex.

If it is so taxing to be among such dullards, perhaps it would serve you well to remember that nobody is forcing you to stay in such a backwards, retarded place. When you do move on to a place inhabited by folks superior to Roane Countians like yourself, you should make sure it is inhabited by similarly superior persons rather than a populace superior even to you, as you would not survive that well. Wouldn't be sustainable.

Adios.

RB

It doesn't have to be the

Submitted by romanstone on March 23, 2013 - 9:24pm.

It doesn't have to be the way it is. We need leadership. Folks need to understanding the water is boiling all around them. No where in that philosophy does it only boil down to replace the current set of good ole boys/girls with a new set. It is much more complex as RB said, however, I would be happy if the current set would lead wisely. The county and cities just can't afford the same path. Yes, Ken Yager holds his share of the blame. Yes, it does matter who's to blame because many of these same folks are still in office. Roane County should have known better than reward Ken with a higher office. The other counties may not have known. Ken's friendly small town chili fundraisers shouldn't overshadow the big government that Ken created. He's not helped in the Senate either. Sure, he's popular given his long history, but popularity is not going to help the working families continue to live in this county. We are stuck with him. Ken has the opportunity to start leading from the Senate. Calfee can start working on real priorities - pocket book proirites and the future health of this community and entire State. The leaders of our cities and the county can do the same. As RB said, it will not be easy but it has to be done at some point. What can we do here on RV's - tell them all that we are not happy with the current affairs of things. Placing blame is important because without it we are doomed to either continue this path or repeat this history.

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