Legislative Proposals - Knox County

[John Schoonmaker]

Potential ideas for the 112th General Assembly

Property Tax:
Proposed Platform Language on Property Taxes – urge the General Assembly to preserve the system of laws and rules which do not disadvantage residential and farm property owners.
Large commercial and industrial taxpayers (Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, etc.) have the resources to pursue remedies to reduce their property tax liability thus shifting the tax burden to residential and farm property owners.

Public Safety:
Develop a funding mechanism for the housing and healthcare costs of maintaining a state prisoner in our county jails. Current reimbursement rate to Knox Co. is $39.00.

Education:
Revise the BEP formula which affects donor counties like Knox.

Local Government:
Electronic Meetings – ability for some county elected officials to join an in-person meeting by electronic means due to health and safety reasons.

Taxes:
Sales Tax Administration Fee – reduction of the local option sales tax fee from 1.125% to 0.5%
Single Article Sales Tax Proposal – cities & counties would collect local option sales tax up to $3400. per transaction.
Fuel Tax – encourage the General Assembly to address updating the user fee for electric vehicles.

Public Health:
State to authorize and fund a new mental health facility in Knox Co.
Restoration of operational funding for the Behavioral Heath Urgent Care Center (BHUCC).

Fire Protection:
Allow only fire service subscribers to receive the ISO fire insurance rating classification for lower homeowner insurance premiums.

[Randy Smith]

John these sound good to me. The mental health hospital needs to also have annual operational funding, not just construction funding