In this file photo, employees of Plateau Excavating, Inc. continued preparing the Exit 33 site for Amazon.com in Bradley County. Bradley officials will wait until they know what will be the new revenue from companies such as Amazon before they look at a property tax increase.CLEVELAND, Tenn. – With Bradley County’s borrowing power maxed out, the County Commission’s finance committee is exploring ways to increase revenue and room to borrow.
The committee heard today from county school officials, who say they need an additional $6.8 million for the next budget year that begins July 1.
The county also faces budget pressures for industrial needs, committee members said.
Made up of five county commissioners, the committee suggested the likelihood of a property tax increase or the creation of a wheel tax, a fee required at the time of vehicle registration renewals.
But before any action is taken, committee members said, they need to know exactly what future new revenue will look like, including that from new corporations in the county such as Wacker Chemical, Amazon and others.
“If there is a tax increase, it will be the biggest issue in the next campaign,” said committee member Mel Griffith.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.