Washington County Commission approves 21% property tax hike

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Washington County Commission approved a 30-cent property tax increase Thursday evening.

In an 11–2 vote, county commissioners approved the increase, raising the property tax rate by 21% to $1.71 per $100 of assessed value. The owner of a $200,000 house will see their annual tax bill increase by $151.

Before the vote, many residents spoke against the proposed increase.

“I’ve cut a lot in the household, but yet I can’t cut enough to have these increases and be able to support my household,” Washington County resident Catherine Hopper told News Channel 11. Hopper said she has already experienced a significant financial impact from the recent loss of her husband.

District 13 Commissioner Kenneth Huffine said he understands the decision to raise the property tax rate but voted against it for all the struggling residents.

“It’s going to put a real hardship on them,” Huffine said. “And in my heart, I could not support putting the amount of stress on those individuals that we ultimately did. My hope moving forward is that there are some ways we can try to help those individuals in the future.”

District 4 Commissioner Josh Edens also voted against the tax hike because of the many phone calls he said he has received from people in his district trying to make ends meet.

“We’re not talking about financial discomfort. We’re talking about keeping the lights on, keeping the kids fed,” Edens said.

“My job when I got elected was to represent the people in my district and to vote for what I felt like was best. After those conversations, for not just the people in District 4, but the people in Washington County. And quality of life comes in a lot of different fashions. Tonight, I voted against that tax increase because I feel like it negatively affects the quality of life for several of our residents.”

Edens did vote for a resolution to give county government employees raises. Mayor Joe Grandy previously said the main reason for the increase was to increase salaries across the county, with the biggest being in public safety.

“Our departments in Washington County do a tremendous job and the job that they do warrants that $2 raise and those items that they do need in their budget,” Edens said.

Huffine said being transparent with taxpayers about where the increase is going is important.

“I think there’s a big opportunity for us to communicate to everyone that pays taxes, what services are the county providing to them,” Huffine said. “Sadly, we take these volunteer fire departments for granted. They have gone years supporting themselves and they’re in a position they truly, truly need help. From that perspective, I’m really glad that we’re providing that support to them. Without them, we would lose a lot of houses and unfortunately, probably even some people in the county.”

The new budget, property tax rate, and raises for county employees will go into effect on July 1.

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