The Fiscal Year 13 budget in DeWitt County calls for a tax increase to generate funds for a new animal control facility.

Finance Chair for the DeWitt County Board, Ed Young explains there was eight cents left in a levy the County had. Young says because of interest expressed over the past year, the Finance Committee has put the line in to allow funds to build the new facility. The tax would generate about $400-thousand.

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Board Member Pete Dougherty says this tax is a classic case of "rat-holing money". He feels there is no reason to tax for another almost half-million dollars when the County's Building Depreciation Fund is already quite healthy, with over $600-thousand there.

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Supporter of the animal shelter, and County Board Chair Melonie Tilley expressed concerns over the new animal shelter. Tilley explains it was never her intentions to have the tax rate raised to help fund this project. While she did not know how it would be funded, she always felt they would find a way to do that.

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Board member Terry Ferguson expressed disagreement with using funds from the Building Depreciation Fund to support the animal shelter. He felt as though that money was in place to be an emergency fund for the now aging County Building, and to use money from that fund to build an animal shelter would take away from future emergencies. He adds, to put another tax increase on top of the new tax for the ambulance, would make this not a good time to add a tax to the people.

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The tax increase passed, but not by a majority vote. It was a 4-4 tie with Dana Evans abstaining from voting. Those who voted to add funds to the Building Depreciation Fund through a tax hike were Camille Redman, Laura Enger, Terry Ferguson, and Young.

The tax rate in the building depreciation fund will go from 20 cents to 27 cents.