Staff writer
The Marion County property tax rate will go up about 0.8 percent in 2012 if the commission approves a budget presented Monday.
Commissioners trimmed more from the proposed budget with accountant Scot Loyd of Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Loyd. After making changes requested by the commission, Loyd estimated a property tax levy increase of 0.516 mills, or about $4.45 on a house appraised at $75,000.
The increase will bring the total county tax levy to 65.924 mills.
The commission approved publishing the budget in the Marion County Record, the county’s official newspaper for public notices. The commission can decrease the budget after publication, but cannot increase it without publishing a new budget.
The commission will have a budget hearing to finalize the 2012 budget at 9 a.m. Aug. 22.
Burn ban expires
A burn ban put in place July 18 was allowed to expire Monday. Commission Chairman Roger Fleming said he didn’t think it was necessary to renew it, because much of the county had received rain in the past week.
In other business:
- Minutes of the July 11, 18, 19, 25, 27, 29, and Aug. 3 meetings were approved with corrections.
- The transfer station will purchase 10 Firestone tires for trailers at a cost of $266.33 per tire from Rod’s Tire of Hillsboro. The only lower bid, also from Rod’s Tire, was for Sampson tires, which Transfer Station Director Rollin Schmidt said aren’t as good as Firestone.
- Schmidt presented an annual household hazardous waste report. The report was due now because the state’s fiscal year is not the same as the calendar year.
- The county sent 659.05 tons of waste to Butler County Landfill in July, at an average cost per ton of $39.03, including fuel, driver’s wages, and tipping fees. Of that amount, 450.33 tons were municipal solid waste, and 207.07 tons were construction and demolition waste.
- The county appraiser’s office will purchase a tablet computer for fieldwork for an estimated $2,600 to $2,700. Appraiser Cindy Magill said the department has two others, and they really help with data collection. The money was budgeted this year.
- Commissioners instructed Health Department Administrator Diedre Serene to ask bidders to present comparable bids for a permanent awning for the south side of the Health Department building. Two bidders had submitted proposals, but they were for different kinds of awnings.
- The next regularly scheduled commission meeting will be Monday.