Council lowers Oak Ridge property tax rate by about 25 cents

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — City Council voted unanimously Monday night to lower the city’s property tax rate to $2.3136 per $100 of assessed property value.

Only five members of City Council, Jim Dodson, Kelly Callison, Chuck Hope, Ellen Smith and Derrick Hammond were present. Mayor Warren Gooch and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn were not. Smith presided over the meeting.

The amount Council approved is the “certified tax rate” determined by the state of Tennessee based on property assessments. As an official state of Tennessee website states, this “certified tax rate” is intended to keep the amount of revenue the city earns from property taxes the same regardless of whether property re-evaluations go up or down. The certified rate Council approved is about 25 cents lower than the previous year’s property tax rate of $2.56. If the state determines the property in a town is worth more than in previous periods, the certified property tax rate goes down.

City Manager Mark Watson said at the meeting that the lower tax rate “represents growth within our community.”

City Finance Director Janice McGinnis said the property tax bills will go out to residents at “the very end of August.”

The tax bill will be due Sept. 1 and delinquent by Oct. 31 this year, as The Oak Ridger has previously reported. This change will give Oak Ridge residents and businesses two more months to pay these bills, which previously were due July 1 and delinquent after Aug. 31.

City Council also voted unanimously to rezone some of the land along Summit Drive to allow for residential developments. Senior Planner Jennifer Williams said the potential housing development is about 80 acres. In a memo, she stated TnBank owns the property, but developer H.E. Bittle is looking to purchase it for a combination of single family and detached housing. The rezoning will need to pass on second reading to go into effect.

At the same meeting, the Council members unanimously approved a grant for $750,000 from the state of Tennessee for improvements to a boat ramp at Melton Hill Lake. A memo from Watson to Council stated that upgrade will allow for more and larger boats there.

Council also approved on first reading a new ordinance banning smoking at city-owned playgrounds. However, the ordinance would not prohibit vaping at playgrounds. Again, the ordinance will have to be approved a second time at a future meeting before it goes into effect. The meeting agenda includes the full text. That agenda is available at oakridgetn.gov.

Ben Pounds is a staff reporter for The Oak Ridger. Call him at (865) 441-2317 and follow him on Twitter @Bpoundsjournal.