Loudon County

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You are going see a 25 cent tax increase in your property taxes.  Hope you know about this and it is not a surprise.

The increase is for a new middle/high school and some other school projects, that have not been fully justified.  At several public meetings a large number of residents asked the leadership in Loudon County to delay the vote, but they refused to do the necessary studies before they enacted the large tax increase to support a $115,000 increase in the school budget.

The County Commission was very clever in the way they got this tax increase passed by giving some County Commissioners that they needed for a yes vote, something for their district, such as a new football stadium and Astro Turf for the field.  These improvements should have been voted on separately and the new school should have been a stand alone project.

Also, Concord Baptist Church is planning to put a new high school, that has been well thought out and designed, in North Loudon County only 3 miles from the proposed school site next to the First Baptist Church Lenoir City and Home Depot on Simpson Road.  Some members of the County Commission knew about this proposal before they voted on the tax increase, but this would have interfered with their plans for a new public school, so it was not discussed.  The county planning commission may prevent the church from building it because they may refuse to allow the rezoning, even though it would not cost the tax payers of Loudon County one red cent.

Another issue that was not considered, even thought it was brought up in the meeting before the vote, is that Governor Lee will be proposing vouchers next Legislative session for parents to send  children to private and home schools, thus reducing the number of students in public schools. Why are we expanding the public school system at this time?

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