Fire tax approved for southern Jackson County

cashiersMark Jones has never voted for a tax increase before, but the Jackson County Commissioner joined the rest of the board in favor of instituting a fire tax for the Cashiers and Highlands areas of the county last week.

Taking the good with the bad

haywoodCommissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick remembers many Haywood County budget hearings in which the public was absent from the process, but that was not the case this year.

Haywood proposes 2.5-cent tax hike to pay for employee raises

fr haywoodtaxesHaywood County commissioners say a property tax increase is needed to dig the county out of a recession-era backlog.

Cashiers residents support fire department, question fairness of proposed fire tax

fr firetaxA public hearing to get Cashiers’ take on a proposed fire tax for the area drew about 70 people to the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center. Judging by the 10 speakers who said their piece to the Jackson County Commissioners, one opinion is fairly unanimous among Cashiers taxpayers: the Cashiers Fire Department needs more revenue. 

Sales tax shuffle

What the bill says: The method of doling out sales tax to towns and counties would be changed to give more to rural counties and less to towns and cities than under the current formula.

Haywood commissioners ponder property tax hike to give county workers raises

fr haywoodbudgetHaywood County commissioners are contemplating a property tax increase to pay for raises for county employees.

Franklin mayor warns of tough budget year

Now that town aldermen have a preliminary budget in front of them, the Franklin leaders are ready to begin an arduous process.

Mayor Bob Scott read a prepared statement to the public during a Monday night town meeting. He said the board was about to embark on the most unpopular part of town government — deciding what will get funded for the 2015-16 fiscal year. The town’s proposed budget is about $3.8 million — a slight increase from the 2014-15 budget of $3.7 million.

Fire tax likely for Cashiers, Highlands

fr firedistrictsA fire tax for Sylva and Cullowhee is off the table, at least for now, but Jackson County Commissioners told county staff to keep going on the Cashiers and Highlands fire districts.

Jackson grapples with fire tax question

fr firecallsJackson County’s elected leaders will be have a big decision to make over the coming month: to levy a fire tax forcing property owners in lower-value areas of the county to pay higher bills or watch local fire departments continue to struggle with old equipment and insufficient manpower.

Burned at auctions, Haywood retools how it recoups back taxes

When Haywood County gets stiffed on property taxes, it carries a big stick of last resort: the foreclosure.

But since the real estate bust, it’s not been as handy as it once was.

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