No tax increase in Rocky Top budget
Rocky Top city workers will get raises in the new 2022-23 fiscal year budget approved last Thursday night by the City Council, but the city’s property current tax rate of $2 per $100 evaluation will remain the same.
The council gave final approval to the budget during its regular June meeting. It includes proposed General Fund appropriations of $3.09 million for the new year, against expected cash receipts of $2.77 million.
With an expected carry-over cash fund balance of $1.01 million, the city would end the 2022-23 fiscal year with a budget surplus of $687,760, the approved plan indicates.
The new budget goes into effect July 1.
“Our revenue has been pretty level,” City Manager Michael Foster said earlier. “We feel good about this. The goal is to give raises, and there will be no tax increase.
“Last year, revenue was up, so being flat this year is not a bad thing,” Foster said.
In other business during last week’s council meeting:
• The council was reminded that the city’s Independence Day celebration and fireworks this year will be held on Friday, July 1. It begins with a city-hosted party at the ballfield next to the Community Center from 5-9 p.m., with the fireworks display to be held at 10 p.m.
• Council members were told that delivery of the city’s new automated garbage truck, which has been on order since last fall, has now been pushed back to at least August.
“The truck has been built, but it has no transmission in it yet,” Foster told the council. He cited supply-chain issues as the reason for the continued delays in getting the truck delivered.
As soon as it comes in and begins service, city residents will have to use special new garbage cans provided by the city that can be picked up and dumped automatically without having to be handled by a person.
The garbage cans are supposed to be delivered to customers in July.
• The city heard from Jennifer Kirst of Second Harvest Food Bank that the group wants to begin distribution of free food to needy people in Rocky Top once a month, and is requesting permission to use a city recreation area as the staging point for the distribution.
No decision was made, pending submission of more information to the city.
Kirst said that about 40 percent of the people who come to the Second Harvest monthly food distribution event in Norris are from Rocky Top, so the organization wants to set up an operation in Rocky Top to accommodate those people.
