OP-ED By Commissioners Blevins, Reed and Brooks

Jefferson County
Commissioner Rob Blevins (District 6)
Commissioner Marcus Reed (District 10)
Commissioner Austin Brooks (District 3)

July 26, 2024

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Publication

Citizens of Jefferson County, and certain county commissioners, were blindsided at the regular County Commission Meeting on Monday July 15, 2024, when a proposal was made, and a vote was taken to raise your wheel tax from its current level of $25 to $50. The proposal was not listed on the meeting agenda for proper public notice. Certain commissioners were not advised that a wheel tax would be considered for a vote. No formal resolution describing the disposition of proceeds or of a sunset date was provided for review. The vote was legally improper for lack of a written resolution, deprived taxpayers of the opportunity to provide input on the issue and failed to give all commissioners a written resolution to properly evaluate.

We assert that the proposed additional Wheel Tax is unnecessary to meet the revenue needs of Jefferson County at the present time. Jefferson County, at any time, has the option to levy additional wheel tax when it becomes necessary. However, the current situation does not warrant raising the Wheel Tax on top of the recent property tax increase.

If a new wheel tax is imposed by a proper vote of the county commission in a future meeting, the citizens then have the option, under state law, of holding a county-wide referendum to approve or reject the new tax (T.C.A § 5-8-102). We suggest the citizens do exactly that by organizing and collecting the necessary signatures to trigger a wheel tax referendum.