County residents pay a $1.80 property tax rate. If you live in Lenoir City, your county property tax rate is $1.52. Lenoir City residents pay 28 cents less on their county property taxes than county residents. The reason for the lower property tax rate is about Loudon County school debt. Since Lenoir City has their own school system, they are not required to pay the portion of the property tax rate that goes to county school debt. Thus, the 28 cent lower tax rate.

As the county pays down the school debt or finds new revenue streams to pay down school debt, less property tax is required to go to county school debt fund.

This year, the county budget committee is recommending a change in the school debt that will effect Lenoir City's, county property tax rate, by a few pennies. I think everyone would agree that paying down and managing debt is a very good thing.

All that said, county commissioners received a letter from Lenoir City mayor, Tony Aikens, complaining about the change in the debt payment. His concern is that it could cause a small increase for Lenoir City property owners or a small property tax equalization.

This is coming from the man, mayor Aikens, who engineered the largest, single tax increase ever on every property owner in the city know as The Rain Tax.

Every residential property in the city is paying $36 per year for the Rain Tax. That doesn't include every church, school and business paying the Rain Tax.  Any change in the city property tax rate caused by the county school debt change would be insignificant in comparison to their Rain Tax payments.  Maybe Mayor Aikens has turned over a new leaf and is now concerned about higher taxes and will be wanting to eliminate that crazy Rain Tax. After all, if he's that worried about a few dollars increase, $36 should keep him awake at night.

 Rain "Tax" Man