Commission announces hearings for marijuana tax and budgets

The Hill County Commission announced a number of public hearings at its weekly business meeting Thursday.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean said public hearings regarding the possible implementation of a 3 percent county excise tax on medical and recreational mariuna products sold at dispensaries in the county will occur Tuesday, Sept. 13, and Friday, Oct. 4, both at 2:30 p.m. in the Hill County Courthouse Timmons Room.

Two weeks ago, the commission voted to put a question on the ballot about whether the county should implement a 3 percent tax on marijuana products sold in the county, one the commissioners have said could be a source of revenue for various things at the county.

Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel said he’s especially interested to hear from people about where they think the money generated from the tax should go.

Notice of these meetings will also be posted at the courthouse and in local media Sept. 9 and Sept. 28.

The commission also announced a public hearing on the county’s preliminary budget for the upcoming year, as well as the budget for the county’s permissive medical levy and the permissive sheriffs retirement levy.

The budgets will be on file and available for public inspection at the commissioner’s office Sept. 6, and the commission will vote on whether to adopt them Sept. 8 at 10 a.m.

Notices for this hearing will also be sent out Aug. 18 and Aug. 31.

Before passing the notices, Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said he questions whether or not three days is enough time for the commission to review these budgets and Strissel agreed.

Peterson requested that the Hill County Clerk and Recorder submit a draft of the budget to the commission before then so they have a chance to review it.

Earlier in the meeting, McLean raised concerns that budgets had not yet factored in the breakout of the county’s property-casualty insurance.

Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown said work on the breakout is not finished yet, but it will be completed and factored in in time for the budget process to move forward.

“It will get done,” Brown said.

McLean also raised concerns about a request made to the commission to approve a 5 percent raise in wages and benefits to Hill County employees.

McLean said typically two versions of every budget are submitted to the commission, reflecting two different values for raises like this.

However, she said, many budgets have been submitted only reflecting the 5 percent increase and she also wants to see another with a 3 percent raise instead.

She said electricity costs are expected to spike soon, which will affect budgets, and they want to know their options in this time of rising costs.

In June of this year the Hill County Compensation Board submitted a recommendation to the commission to raise elected official pay by 5 percent and members of the commission stated during meetings of this board that they intend to match any increase in elected official pay with an equal increase in the pay of employees, which the compensation board doesn’t handle.