Gibson Co. increases property tax, adds deputies to streets
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TRENTON, Tenn. — The Gibson County Commission voted Monday to increase property taxes for the new fiscal year. The increase will go toward improvements and additions at the sheriff’s department, something the sheriff says was desperately needed. “I have to ensure their safety, and with the personnel we currently have I just didn’t have enough man power to do it,” Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said. Six new jailers and three new deputies are all on the way for Gibson County in the $450,000 budget increase for the sheriff’s office. “I’m running one and two deputies sometimes on a shift patrolling the county,” Thomas said. “The county commission was just taken back by that. They said ‘we never knew you were that understaffed.'” But this added safety didn’t come without a price. In order to balance the new $24 million budget, commissioners also passed a 3.5 cent property tax increase. “They were left with very few options on the table,” Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon said. “But now at the end of the day, the public is going to be safer.” Although many residents believe increasing the sheriff’s budget is a good use of funds, some say the tax hike is too much and other areas should have been cut first. “They did us a disservice,” resident Paul Jones said. “There’s got to be a better way — enough is enough.” Thomas says these new positions won’t just increase safety but will save money in the long run. He plans to house more state inmates, creating thousands of dollars in income a month. “The revenue we can generate here will return the money back to the general fund,” Thomas said. “It is all necessary to provide the best services we could provide.” Thomas says taxpayers will get their money’s worth, cutting down response time and making the county safer overall. “After speaking to the deputies and the correctional staff, they’ve told me we’ll be better staffed than any of them can ever remember,” Thomas said. Thomas also said they’re going to be staggering out the hiring process for all three new deputies, hiring one every three months. He hopes the first deputy will start just after July 1. He said they also plan to use some of the new funds to re-open a closed part of their jail, which will add more than 100 new beds and free up space.
