County Commissioners Approve Plan to be Paid Millions in Back Taxes
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Madison County Commissioners approved a plan on Monday morning outlining how the city of Jackson will pay millions of dollars in back liquor taxes to the Jackson-Madison County School System. Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said nearly two decades of taxes will now be paid where they’re due. The settlement says the city will pay the county $1 million by the first of the year, and nearly $200,000 per year until 2023. “The cities didn’t realize it, the counties and the school systems didn’t realize it as we didn’t, so it’s a big surprise that they’re gonna have to come up with $2.7, $2.8 million,” Mayor Harris said. School administrators say they hope this money will be used to further secure schools and to boost academics, but they say the school budget still has its challenges. “The money is very helpful as we move forward this year and next dealing with some challenging budgetary issues,” Jackson-Madison County Schoolboard Chairman Jim Campbell said. Mayor Harris said although learning of the the unpaid taxes caught many off guard, he’s happy a compromise was made among the city, county and school district. Last Thursday, the school board and the city of Jackson approved the amount to be paid back to the county. Jackson Mayor Gist told WBBJ last week the city will have to make cuts to come up with the money that will include cuts to Madison County emergency management, cuts in library funding and cutting a few part-time seasonal city jobs.
