Franklin County commission approves new budget

The Franklin County Commission held its final public budget hearing on Tuesday for the budget that will take effect on October the 1st and the commission managed to lower the millage rate, meaning local taxpayers will pay a little less in county taxes next year.

The proposed budget was a little over 112.3 million dollars with local taxpayers covering about 18.8 million of that.

That represented a tax increase of 10.7 percent.

But under an agreement reached by the county and cities earlier this month nearly 765 thousand dollars that funds the ambulance service was shifted out of ad valorem taxes and will now be covered by the county’s one cent health care sales tax.

That move lowered the total budget to about 111.6 million dollars and reduced the amount local taxpayers will cover to a little over 18 million dollars.

So instead of seeing a 10.7 percent tax increase, the increase was lowered to just over 6 percent.

That means a homeowner with a house valued at $150,000 with a $50,000 homestead exemption who paid $547 in county taxes this year, will pay $546 dollars in county taxes next year.

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