Elizabethton City Council is poised to take a major step towards investing in its future, as officials prepare for the first reading of the FY 25/26 budget tomorrow. The reading follows a series of thorough discussions at four budget workshops and a strategic planning retreat lasting three days. In the proposed budget, Elizabethton City Schools are scheduled to receive an additional local contribution of $125,000, marking the first increase since 2016 and the largest in recent history. This funding surge was highlighted during the April School Board meeting, where Elizabethton City Schools Director Richard VanHuss identified the budget increase as pivotal to maintaining staff and operations. According to the City of Elizabethton report, VanHuss expressed gratitude for the city council's endorsement, stating, "The bottom line is they helped us save some jobs."
However, educational support is just one component of a multifaceted budget plan. The Elizabethton Fire Department, grappling with a competitive market and a pressing need to retain and recruit personnel, is set to benefit from a solved pay scale issue. Council members have endorsed an across-the-board pay raise for city staff and have committed to underwriting a 3% hike in employee health insurance costs. To balance these financial commitments, the city proposes to amend the property tax rate from $1.65 to $1.74, allocating those pennies to various needs, including the school system, employee compensation, and the city’s paving projects. Under this new tax structure, homeowners with properties worth $200,000 will see their annual bill increase by $45, while those with properties worth $400,000 will incur an additional $90 annually.
Infrastructure also receives a significant funding bump in the upcoming budget, with a 4% increment earmarked for street resurfacing efforts. Beyond maintenance, the city is channeling funds towards substantial capital undertakings, such as renovations at Franklin Pool, acquiring three police vehicles, and a substantial payment toward a new fire truck crucial for the next three decades of municipal safety. In facing a tightly constrained fiscal environment, Elizabethton City Manager Daniel Estes commended the City Council for making difficult but necessary decisions. Estes remarked on the resolve to address these pressing requirements, as documented in Elizabethton’s release, saying “City Council had tough choices, but recognized these were overriding needs that needed to be addressed, even with a really tight budget.”
