A budget work session will be held to review and discuss items related to the FY 2019 Recommended Budget/CIP and the tax rates to be advertised for 2018.

The State Code requires counties to hold a public hearing prior to budget adoption and to advertise a brief synopsis of the budget at least seven days prior to the public hearing.  In years when a county has a general reassessment of real property and the reassessment results in an increase of 1% or more in the total real property tax levied, a county must reduce its real property tax rate to a level that will produce no more than 101% of the previous year's real property tax levy.  Once this "lowered" rate is calculated, a county cannot increase its real property tax rate above the "lowered" rate without holding a public hearing and advertising at least 30 days in advance of that public hearing.  This year's ad is set to run in the Free Lance-Star on February 26 ahead of the public hearing at Massaponax High School on March 29.

In order to determine what advertisements are necessary and to provide sufficient time to meet the State's advertisement requirements, staff is seeking the Board's direction on the tax rates to advertise for 2018.  The table below shows the 2017 tax rates, as well as those recommended for 2018.  The FY 2019 Recommended Budget is based on the rates shown as "2018 Recommended."

Mark Taylor, County Administrator

Mary Sorrell, Finance Director

Bonnie Jewell, Budget Manager

If tax rates to be advertised are not approved at this meeting, the deadline for required advertising of tax rates for the March 29  public hearing will not be met.  Additionally, failure to meet State requirements for advertising could result in delaying the adoption of the FY 2019 Budget, which could delay billing and collections of taxes.