It is true that Lenoir City officials have proposed a budget that will not require a property tax increase, but unfortunately for Lenoir City property owners if county commissioners vote to move the eight cents from the school building fund, that same eight cents will be added to the city property owners county tax bill.

Due to certain laws, Lenoir City property owners do not pay any portion of the county tax rate that goes to the county schools building fund. This is because Lenoir City operates their own school system. Therefore, city property owners are not required to pay taxes for building county schools. It's actually a lot more complicate than that but the simple fact is, if county commissioners move the eight cents from the building fund to their general fund, Lenoir City folks will get hit with the tax increase.

So, if county commission votes to take the eight cents away from the school building fund and move it to the county general fund, not only were the tax payers misled that all twenty cents of the tax increase was to go to the school building fund but city property owners will see a large tax increase.

Lenoir City mayor, Tony "No Tax" Aikens and the city council, in representing their citizens, should be calling on county commission not to take the school's building fund money and not to raise property taxes on their constituents.