Randolph County property owners will pay a 2-mill increase on taxes next year to help fund its budget, which officials say is nearly $400,000 short.
The increase is expected to raise about $380,000 a year, with half of that dedicated to the county's general fund and the remaining half to fund a $1 million expansion project on the county jail in Pocahontas.
Justices of the peace voted 5-3 Dec. 1 to raise the rate -- the first change in the millage in more than three decades -- from 1.6 mills to 3.6 mills.
Quorum Court members had voted in 1982 to lower the millage rate from 5 mills to 1.6 mills.
Collection will begin in April, when county residents receive their 2015 property tax bills, Randolph County Assessor Stacy Ingram said.
A mill is one-tenth of 1 cent and generates $1 for each $1,000 worth of assessed property.
David Jansen, county judge of Randolph County, said the increase was necessary to help fund yearly operations, which have been hindered by rising costs and inflation.
"Things are tough right now," he said. "They are for everyone. Nobody wants to raise taxes. I hate it. But we had to do it."
The county's 24 departments operate on an $8 million annual budget, said Randolph County Treasurer Sherry Huskey. The county's carryover revenue, which is the reserves from the previous year, is down by 10 percent this year, she said.
Jansen said the county jail's 34-bed facility is crowded, and there is no separate area to keep women. Sheriff Gary Tribble has to transport female prisoners to neighboring counties, Jansen said.
Plans call for building additional space in the jail for 40 new beds and add a new wing to house the female prisoners.
Justice of the Peace Bill Harper was one of the three Quorum Court members who voted against the increase, saying he favored letting Randolph County residents decide the measure rather than eight of the nine members of the court.
Justice of the Peace Wayne Gearhart was absent from the meeting.
"I feel something that's long term like this should be voted on by all the residents of the county," Harper said. "I think it needs to be decided by the public. We should have put this on the ballot in November."
Voters turned down two county sales tax proposals in recent years, but Pocahontas voters favored two 0.5 percent citywide sales taxes in June 2013 that funded construction of a $7.5 million indoor swimming pool and aquatic center.
"I think that election put a bad taste in the mouths of the county," Harper said. "The county didn't get to vote on that tax, but they are paying it now. If we had put [the millage increase issue] on the ballot, they would have at least had a choice."
State Desk on 12/08/2014