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The Claiborne Commission will be voting during its next meeting on the adoption of the new fiscal year 2018-19 county budget. It appears that county residents may squeak by, again this year, with no property tax hike. If adopted, the rate will remain at $2.5777 per $100 of assessed taxable property value – the same as last year.

The proposed budget shows a little reworking of the numbers to allow this to occur. For instance, the General Purpose School fund has been lowered from $1.2200 last fiscal year to $1.1700 for this year.

Fund 116 Solid Waste has been increased on the proposed budget. Last year, that department received .2156 cents. The proposed budget shows .2256 – an increase of one penny.

The 101 General Fund is also slightly up, from last year’s $1.0726 to the proposed $1.1126.

County employees could see a three percent increase in their salaries, if the budget is adopted.

The need for school safety has netted a proposal to install nine additional School Resource Officers (SROs), to be stationed at each campus. Currently, there are three SROs.

The county and the school system agreed to split the $480,000 to cover the costs.

Those costs include salaries, benefits and the training and ‘outfitting’ of the additional nine SROs.

The budget committee apparently found enough money to donate to 21 nonprofits. If adopted, the organizations will receive a total $117,400 in appropriations.

Among the list are Clearfork Community Institute, Claiborne County Smiles (Senior Citizens), Speedwell Academy, CEASE, Inc., Habitat for Humanity (Claiborne County) and the Pleasant Point and Head of Barren Community Centers, who will each receive $5,000.

If the budget is adopted, Cumberland Mountain Industries and the Claiborne County Fair Association will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.

The Claiborne County Historical Society and the Dollywood Imagination Library Program could be getting $10,500 and $15,900, respectively, if the new budget is accepted.

Resolution 2018-053 shows an appropriation of $10,000 to the Harrogate Library. Nonprofits like the Claiborne County Hunger Ministry and the Upper Room Ministries will be receiving $1,200 and $2,400, respectively.

Meanwhile, $3,000 will be donated to Project Graduation, to be split between the two high schools. The same amount will go to the Claiborne County Leadership Class, if the resolution is adopted.

And, $2,000 will be appropriated to the local high school Valedictorian Program.

If the resolution is adopted as written, the Claiborne County 4-H Program will receive $2,400 while $2,000 is appropriated in the document for the Great American Clean-Up.

The Claiborne County Health Council will receive $3,000 and the Senior Citizens’ Home Assistance program will get $2,000, if the resolution is adopted as written.

The next meeting of the Claiborne County Commission will begin at 6:30 p.m. on July 16, inside the large courtroom of the Claiborne County Courthouse. The public is encouraged to attend these monthly meetings.