Fort Madison, IA – After weeks of crunching numbers, the Lee County Board of Supervisors still does not know whether next year's budget will include a lower property tax rate.
Chairman George Morgan says the latest numbers from each department are now being plugged into an overall county budget proposal.
He says, until that document is complete, the board will not know if the urban and rural rates can be lowered from their current levels: $8.94 & $10.95, respectively.
Morgan says early projections showed a property tax rate decrease for the upcoming fiscal year, though he adds that a lot of numbers have changed since then.
The supervisors hope to see the overall county budget proposal early next week.
At the same time, it appears that Lee County's proposed spending plan for next year will include pay increases for elected leaders.
The Compensation Board has recommended the County Attorney, Auditor, Board of Supervisors, Recorder, Sheriff, and Treasurer each receive a 5% wage hike.
Morgan says the Board of Supervisors has reached a decision on those raises, but are not ready to announce it publically.
The supervisors can not increase the compensation board's recommendation, they can only follow the proposal or reduce the potential raises.