450 new parcels drive 2% property tax bump in Washington County

The Washington County Budget Committee approved the fiscal year 2027 drug fund budget on Wednesday. The committee met to continue its discussion on the FY27 budget which must be finalized by June 30 — the end of the current fiscal year. The committee discussed the drug fund budget and the opioid balance fund budget. Drug fund budget The committee approved the FY27 drug fund budget with a beginning reserve of $130,000, $45,000 in anticipated spending and $0 in expected revenue. Washington County's Director of Finance and Administration Mitch Meredith said the reason revenue is budgeted at $0 is because the county doesn't know what will be compensated at this time. The drug fund budget is used for any law enforcement forfeitures including, but not limited to, travel and supplies. With the committee's approval of the budget, it will now be sent to the Washington County Commission for approval. Opioid balance fund budget The county created the opioid balance fund to mitigate the impact the opioid epidemic had on the region and the county. The fund itself is not required by state, but what the county does with opioid abatement money is restricted, Meredith said. The estimated revenue budgeted for the fund is $95,000. The county will receive between $400,000 and $500,000 from the state which is not in the FY27 budget for this fund because there is no firm schedule for when the funds will be allocated. Meredith said the estimated expenditures budgeted for the fund are just over $1 million. The committee did not take any actions on the FY27 budget for the opioid balance fund. Tax collections increase Meredith presented to the commission on Monday the expected property tax collections for FY27 is a 2% increase than what was collected in FY26. Washington County's Property Assessor Robbie McGuire said the $1.9 million increase is a result of new homes and businesses within the county. He said the county had more than 450 new parcels creating new revenue for the county for this year's collection. He said it is unpredictable what the increase will be for FY28, but the county has seen a 1% to 1.5% increase in revenue for the past five years. The FY27 budget accounts for 97% of property taxes to be collected which is estimated to be more than $97 million. The county will receive 40% of collections and the remaining 60% is distributed to both Washington County and Johnson City school systems, educational capital and capital projects, solid waste, debt service and highway budgets. The committee will continue its FY27 budget discussion on Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Washington County Courthouse.