Overview
- The plan would add about $188 a year, or roughly $16 a month, for a home with an average $255,000 assessment.
- The proposal follows a 23% increase last year and a 5% hike in 2024, and residents at the meeting voiced strong opposition over the cumulative burden.
- Officials cite a structural shortfall, higher inflation and labor costs, and the expiration of federal COVID relief as the key pressures.
- A final budget vote is expected by Dec. 10, but county leaders have not said whether they will adjust the proposal or when any increase would take effect.
- The combined spending plan approaches $1 billion, with a $340 million operating budget and major costs tied to courts and the prison system, as cost-cutting steps like a hiring freeze continue.