The Greene County Board of Supervisors recently approved its budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which includes setting the tax levies.

According to Greene County Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins, the rural tax levy, which is represented by the Rural Basic Fund, is going to have a $0.03 decrease compared to the current fiscal year tax levy to $2.96 per $1,000 of property valuation. She explains that the rural tax levy is only for the rural residents.

She states the countywide tax levy is also seeing a slight decrease from the current fiscal year of $0.15. Hoskins notes the countywide tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year is going to be $9.79, which is paid by everyone in the county.

Greene County Supervisor Chair Dawn Rudolph says the Board spent several hours working on the budget and in the end, they needed every county department to tighten their belts financially. She goes over the funding of the current HVAC project with the Greene County Courthouse and how some of that impacts the overall county budget.

“You know, our fund balance is maybe just a tish lower than what we really, typically like it to be at. But for that reason, we wanted to be able to finish funding the HVAC project without borrowing money and paying (a) high interest (rate). This next year will be a little tight but very comfortable that we can make things work and still provide all the services needed for the citizens of the county.”  

About half of the HVAC project was paid for by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the federal government during the covid pandemic. 

The next fiscal year begins on July 1st.