County Board Approves Levy, Budget for 2025

Effingham County board members Monday wrapped up the fiscal year and approved the levy for 2024, payable in 2025 and the budget for the coming year.

The spending blueprint calls for $248 more in income than outgo.

The tax levy includes an increase of 2.33%. County Board Chairman Josh Douthit said, "I don't want to increase the levy if we don't have to." Taxing bodies are allowed to raise the levy by up to 4.99% over what was actually extended for taxes without need for a public hearing, so this is less than half that amount.

The County tax levy rate is .549, down from .585 the previous year.

The levy for the Health Department was reduced from $60,000 to $10,000. Instead, the County and the Health Department will go halves on a capital improvement project. Douthit said he'd rather do that with existing funds than increase the levy for a one-time expenditure. The Board also agreed to pay half the Health Department employees' premiums.

The Board also paid any outstanding bills that came in since last week's regular monthly meeting to close out the fiscal year.

The votes to approve both the levy and the budget were unanimous.