The Pierce County Commission has postponed public hearings to receive input on a proposed 1.85 mills in property tax rates this year.
The hearings were originally scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 23 and next Wednesday, Oct. 29, but have been postponed due to an error by The Times on ad size for the public hearings.
By state law, the county must hold three public hearings to receive citizen comments before approving the millage rate and budget. The ads were smaller than those required by the state to give adequate public notice. Revised public notices on the hearings will be included in the Oct. 29 edition of The Times.
The proposed millage rate increase will fund the county’s proposed $17.9 million budget.
The county faced a $1.6 million budget deficit this year, largely due to increases in the recreation department (up about $368,000), funding a three percent across the board salary increase ($250,000) and increases to group insurance and EMS expenses. Other big ticket spending items include sheriff's office and public works.
The budget already includes $700,000 from the county’s cash reserves to help close the gap. Some money will be kept in reserve for emergencies.
If the millage rate increase is approved, tax bills will likely not be due until after new year’s 2026.
