By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Montague County Commissioners approved the 2022-23 budget and the 2022 tax rate during Monday’s meeting.
There were no public comments in a pair of hearings on both items, scheduled prior to the 9 a.m. meeting.
Tax rate
The tax rate discussion was confusing at times but only because of the wording required by state government. The court approved a rate of .5036 cents per $100 in property value for 2022. The 2021 rate is .56410 cents.
The new budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year’s budget by an amount of $889,169, which is a 7.66% increase from last year’s budget. New property added to the tax roll this year is an estimated $245,021.
Making the motion, Commissioner Bob Langford read this is a 7.66% increase, but in actuality the rate is lower than the 2021 rate by .0605 cents. Benton explained this new rate will raise more money for maintenance and operation, so it is considered “higher,” but a property valued at $100,000 will see their tax bill decline by $64.

Read the full story on the budget in the mid-week Bowie News.