Monday night the Putnam County Courthouse was full of many residents to see how the Commission handled the wheel tax and approval of the budget.

Things were heated right out of the gate as the wheel tax was tackled first.

Commissioner Reggie Shanks of the Sixth District said that the county had “now that is ridiculous. We don't have a $5 million surplus this year, it is $6,385,000 surplus, nearly a million and a half surplus this year...and you are wanting to raise taxes ten or eleven cents.”

Jerry Ford represents the Third District and said “I think the people of Putnam County oughta be able to vote on this. Because basically I don’t think this body has the right.”

Even through the discussion, many of the Commissioners said they had received more calls in favor of the wheel tax than not, the Commission decided to put it on the ballot.

Shanks made an amendment to the motion that put it before the voters.

In that discussion Shanks volleyed an attack toward Bob Duncan of the Second District which seemed to be amusing to those packed into the upstairs courtroom.

Shanks’ amendment was passed and then the final motion with Shanks’ amendment was passed 18-6.

Michael Medley, Joe Trobaugh, Eris Bryant, Jere Mason, Bill Walker and Ford all voted no. Ford noted “What it comes down to is, gonna have a tax increase on land and you are gonna have a tax increase on your car.”

The referendum will be on the November ballot for a Wheel Tax of $30.00.

The majority of those in attendance seemed pleased with that action. Most of them were there in support of the school budget and were waiting the see how that played out in the budget process.

Director of Schools, Kathleen Airhart, spoke to the Commissioners before their vote. She spoke as to how the $0.07 for schools was necessary as there was nothing else to cut. “What it means for my process is I don’t need to find another $283,000 in cuts. As of this morning I had understood that the vote would probably go to five cents”.

The School Budget passed 19-5 with Anna Ruth Burroughs, Gene Mullins, Shanks, Trobaugh and Medley voting against it.

The teacher’s representatives and Putnam County Schools had negotiated an agreement that this budget kept in place. “It closes the deal that we made with the teacher's union for three percent. But, in all reality, no matter what I would have done to the budget, I was not going to go after the teacher raise.”

Now that this has past, Airhart and her staff can get back to the daily operations in the school system and look at things to be done. This includes the progression of the building projects. “We are already under construction at Algood and Jere Whitson is going out for bid. Both of these projects should be finished by the opening of schools next year.”