Though many council members seem staunchly divided into two camps – those who believe Metro has a revenue problem and those who believe there is a spending problem – they managed to compromise on Monday and pass the second reading of the Metro Budget at a $2.295 tax rate.
The Budget Committee will present a new proposed tax rate tonight at the Metro Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Lynchburg Legion Building.
The Metro Council approved the year ending budget amendments and heard from the Metro Audit Committee at last night’s special session meeting.
The Metro Budget remains unsettled but Mayor Lewis has called a Metro Council Special Session meeting to handle any end of fiscal 2020-21 business. That meeting happens June 30.
With the June 30 deadline looming, the Metro Council failed to pass it’s second reading during Monday night’s regular session meeting.
The budget actuals from 2019-20 show $5,138,491 in expenses and the budget estimates from fiscal 2020-21, show a total of $5,297,622. That’s a total year-to-year increase of $159,131 or three percent.
In a contentious two hour plus meeting Monday night, the Metro Council compromised and passed the first reading of the 2021-22 Metro Budget. They will hear the second reading on Monday, June 21.
At the latest Metro Council meeting, Metro Mayor Bonnie Lewis informed the council that new homes had been left off the Moore County property tax rolls dating back to 2015. Though she did not give a number or estimated dollar amount, The Times has since learned that there were over 60 new homes with an estimated value of over $12 million missing from local tax rolls.
May’s Metro Council meeting takes place tonight at the former American Legion Building. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.
Metro budget committee members continue to wait on a certified tax rate from the state forcing the postponement of the May’s Metro Council meeting.