County Commissioners Approve Budget
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: September 8, 2008
If you pay taxes in Lubbock County you will be paying a bit more next year. County Commissioners approved the 2008-2009 budget on Monday and a tax hike that came along with it. The vote for the 65-million dollar budget passed four to one and it's about 10 million dollars more than last year's budget. Commissioner Ysidro Gutierrez was the only one to vote against the budget and tax increase. He says the county is spending beyond it's means, and approving a tax hike this year means there will definitely be one next year. The other commissioners say they had to dip into the reserve funds for this budget and increase taxes mainly to help cover the cost of moving into the new county jail. They say it's a project that has cost a lot of money, but once it's up and running it will save the county money and bring in extra revenue. The tax increase means the average home owner will pay about 36 dollars more next year than they did this year. Commissioners say the budget also includes covering the cost of raises for some county employees and higher fuel prices.
Commissioner Bill McKay says, "We anticipate that we'll be in great shape next year ... in voting for this budget and tax rate we're protecting the investment the citizens made in the Lubbock County Courthouse and the Detention Center."
Commissioner Gutierrez says, "This year's budget is 10.1 million dollars higher than it was last year ... the reason it concerns me is because that amount of money includes about 6 to 7 million dollars in expenses that will still be here in next year's budget."
