County passes second reading

With the economic news getting worse, a Cherokee County councilman said Monday the county could stave off a tax hike by reducing its cost-of-living raise for county employees.

Councilman Quay Little proposed to reduce from 3 to 2 percent the cost of living raise for county employees. The savings would be used, in part, to eliminate a 2.06 mill tax hike in the proposed budget.

"These are very hard times," Little said. "The employees of the county know that money is tight."

Little argued the county's ability to hold the line on employee health care costs is akin to a raise for employees.

But Little had no support for his proposal and council made no changes to its $18.7 million spending plan on second reading.

The new property tax rate will be 66.4 mill for county operations. The 2.06 tax hike would add about $8 to a tax bill on a home valued at $100,000.

One more reading and a public hearing are needed before the new budget takes effect July 1.

Last year, council approved a 2.29-mill increase for county operations and a 1.8-mill increase to cover the county's debt service. Those increases added $16 a year in taxes on a home valued at $100,000.