Jefferson County Commission Rejects Proposed Wheel Tax

The Jefferson County Commission faced a crucial decision regarding a proposed wheel tax during its meeting on April 15, 2024. The tax, which had previously contributed approximately 0.08 cents to the budget in past cycles, was up for consideration once again.

Budget Committee Chairman Scarlett revived the issue by proposing a $30 wheel tax, stipulating that the funds be allocated to debt service, capital purchases, or capital projects, as determined by a Commission vote. Notably, $5 of the proposed tax would be earmarked for road paving.

Commissioner Solomon moved to approve the proposal, with Commissioner Huffaker seconding the motion. However, Commissioner Reed introduced an amendment to postpone the decision until the October meeting. Although Commissioner Brooks seconded the amendment, it failed to pass, with a vote of 6-12 against postponement.

Ultimately, the original motion to approve the wheel tax fell short of the super-majority of 14 votes required for approval, receiving support from only 11 commissioners.

Due to procedural rules, the wheel tax item cannot be revisited until the next quarterly meeting in July. If it were to gain approval with a super-majority at that time, it would need to pass in two consecutive quarterly meetings to be enacted. Consequently, the earliest the wheel tax could take effect would be early 2025, with the process to begin collecting the tax potentially taking 60 to 90 days after the second approval.

In other business, the Commission voted 15-2-1 to approve a motion by Commissioners Brooks and Douglas for a commercial C-3 Zone to undergo further review by various planning commissions. Additionally, the Commission approved resolution 2023-62, which restricts BESS uses to only the I-2 Zone, along with several surplus resolutions.

Moving forward, the County Commission announced the implementation of a Consent Agenda, which will include items expected to generate little or no discussion.

Furthermore, the Jefferson County Commission voted 16-2 to increase the School/Adequate Facilities Tax by $0.10.

During the meeting, several citizens addressed the Commission on various issues, including zoning, property and wheel taxes, the quarry, and homeschool sports. Additionally, four citizens—Eddie Woods, Michael Romines, Johnny Carmichael, and David Davenport—were posthumously recognized with courtesy resolutions, with their families present to receive the honors. Photos below: