{"id":25068,"date":"2025-06-23T17:49:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T21:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=25068"},"modified":"2025-06-29T20:55:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T00:55:13","slug":"videos-budget-public-hearing-lcc-2025-06-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2025\/06\/videos-budget-public-hearing-lcc-2025-06-23.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos: Budget Public Hearing @ LCC 2025-06-23"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update 2025-06-29<\/strong>:\r\nNotice: Special Called Meeting to adopt FY 2026 Budget @ LCC 2025-06-30<\/a>.\r\n\r\n

\r\nThe 2024 millage of 5.283 is little more than half the 8.974 it was in 2017.\r\nNot counting the 2.5 mils of fire tax on unincorporated Lowndes County since 2021,\r\nand of course the 1 mil to the Industrial Authority and the 1.25 mils to Parks and Rec,\r\nwhich have not changed since 2008.\r\n

\r\nAbout 85% of the county’s revenues come from taxes.\r\nAbout 57% of that comes from property taxes,\r\nand about 31% Local Option Sales Tax (LOST).\r\n

\r\nOf expenditures, about 41% goes to Public Safety (Sheriff Department, Jail, etc.),\r\nabout 12% to Juducial (courts), and about 18% to General Government.\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"[Collage<\/a>\r\n
Collage @ LCC Budget Hearing 23 June 2025<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Demarcus Marshall asked how the rising cost of gasoline was dealt with.\r\nFinance Director Stephanie Black said there was some leeway built into the budget,\r\nbut if the price rise exceeds that, at the end of the year, additional funds\r\nwould have to be allocated.\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Scottie Orenstein wondered about the fire services budget.\r\nFD Black said it is going down 10%, because new fire trucks were moved\r\ninto a SPLOST line item.\r\n

\r\nCounty Manager Paige Dukes said a few words about property assessments\r\nthat were mailed out by Tax Assessors staff.\r\nI think this was about the recent \r\n\r\nopt-out of the county from the statewide homestead exemption<\/a>\r\n(the county actually has better homestead exemptions).\r\n

\r\nAlmost no citizens attended, and none asked any questions.\r\n

\r\nBelow is the LAKE video of the session,\r\nwith a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,\r\nfollowed by a LAKE video playlist\r\nof this Lowndes County Commission presentation at 9AM this morning.\r\n

\r\nSee also\r\n\r\n the\r\npublic notice<\/a> of this public hearing.\r\n

\r\nMuch to my surprise,\r\nthe Lowndes County did actually put the presentation slides on the county website:\r\n
\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/lowndescounty.com\/DocumentCenter\/View\/4079\/Budget-Public-Hearing-FY-2026-Presentation<\/a>\r\n

\r\nThat’s under Departments, Finance, and under Quick Links:\r\n\r\nFY 2026 Budget Public Hearing Presentation<\/a>.\r\nThanks to Finance Director Stephanie Black for putting it there.\r\nA copy is\r\n\r\non the LAKE website<\/a>,\r\nand images of each slide are below.\r\n