Published: August 20, 2008 11:34 am      

Proposed county budget gets one speaker at meeting

Cooke County Commissioners took the next step Monday toward completing the annual budget process when they voted to approve the 2008-2009 proposed county budget Monday.

The proposed budget sets the tax rate at .45 cents.

Only one individual signed up to speak during the public hearing.

Valley View resident Gene Montgomery told commissioners he’s all for a proposal exempting homesteaders from county taxes.

County Judge Bill Freeman said Montgomery requested the county initiate a 20 percent homestead exemption of county taxes and a $50,000 exemption for individuals over 65.

“To fund the exemptions, he suggested we raise the proposed tax from 45 cents to a little more than 47 cents,” Freeman noted Monday afternoon.

He said it is too late to really consider the homestead exemption.

“At this point in the budget calendar, the budget process and the setting of the tax rate, it is too late to make that kind of adjustment,” he said.

Further, he said it is unlikely the court would vote to raise the tax rate to 47 cents.

“I don’t believe this court would ever vote to set the rate higher than the rollback rate,” he said.

The final public hearing on the proposed budget is schedule for Monday.