Aikens had on hand, Loudon County Property Assessor Mike Campbell, to help explain the property tax process to the council. Back in 2022, Aikens tried to welch on paying the property assessor the $47,000.00 the city owed for their reappraisal. Ultimately, the county had to twist arms to make Aikens pay his bill.  

The crux of what Aikens was trying to get at was to make voters in the 5th district, who live in the city, to be upset about what county commission has done and to vote for his candidate for the county commission seat on the ballot in March.

Loudon County currently has the fourth lowest property tax rate in the state. Not only has there been no property tax increase since 2010, the property tax rate was actually lowered by four cents in 2014. Rather than complaining about how the county operates, Aikens should be praising the county for keeping the tax rate so low. He would do well to attend some county budget meetings to learn how it's done. 

In Lenoir City, higher taxes is a constant with the mayor and his council. Right now, Aikens is pushing another huge sales tax increase. In 2021, he passed a 17% property tax increase. In 2018, Aikens tried his best to pass a sales tax increase, but the voters rejected it. In 2017, Aikens and council voted for the gas tax increase. Then his biggest accomplishment was the passage the Rain Tax on every residential property, church, school, business and nonprofit in the city. At the council meeting Monday, he was just beside himself that the change in the county tax rate could cost a Lenoir City property owner $5 per year, the Rain Tax cost that same resident $36 per year. That 17% property tax increase cost that resident $70 per year.

And don't forget, all the big property tax breaks Aikens and council have passed out to developers while raising taxes of everybody else in the city. 

Aikens has very selective outrage when it comes to tax increases. If he and the council pass them, they're great. To be honest, listening to Aikens and councilman Eddie Simpson explaining taxes and budgets sounds a lot like Bevis and Butthead explaining quantum physics.

Incumbent county commissioner, Joe Morrison, is running for the county commission, 5th district Seat (A). He is being challenged by Tony Aikens backed candidate, Marty Fugate.  It gnaws at Aikens that he can not get control of the Loudon County commission. This is certainly not the time to make any changes.

Vote For Joe Morrison Loudon County Commission, Seat (A).

Below is a link to the council meeting. The tax talk starts at the 11:35 mark.

Click Here For Meeting Video