Community Information
White County
Cleveland
Helen

Member Information
New Member Information
Business Listings
Newsletter
Advertising Opportunities
Small Business Resources

General Information
Available Sites
Cultural Arts
Demographics
Education
Environment 
Government
Health Care
Housing
Incentives
Industry
Labor
Public Safety
Topography
Tourism
Transportation
Utilities

HOME

Taxes in White County

In White County, property is assessed a tax for the general operation of local governments.  Each jurisdiction determines the amount of revenue it anticipates needing and receiving through a variety of sources, such as sales taxes, user fees, fines and forfeitures, state & federal grants and ad valorem (property) taxes.

Residents in White County are taxed according to the location of their property with regard to incorporated or unincorporated jurisdiction. A breakdown of the total tax bill reveals:

*Table last updated June 2005

For White County government operations, in 2000, over $2.2 million in property taxes was needed to operate a budget of $7.9 million.  For 2001, the Board of Commissioners set a mill age rate of 6.88 mils for all county properties. Tax payers received, in return, a myriad of services to improve the quality of life of its citizens, such as:

         Fire Department                                   Sheriffs Department/Law Enforcement            
         Emergency Management Agencies   E-911 Communications and Mapping Services
         Building Inspections                            Code Enforcement
         Road and Bridge Maintenance           Health Department
         Senior Citizens Services                       Emergency Medical Services
         Coroner                                                   Public Library Services
         Park & Recreation Services                 Animal Control
         Humane Society                                    Tourism and Economic Development
         Courts & Elections                                Planning & Land Use
         Detention and Jails                                Solid Waste Disposal

The City of Cleveland operated with an overall budget of around $3.5 million in 2005. Of this amount, only about $270,000 was projected to be collected through property taxes, and the remainder was collected from user fees, fines, sales tax and other assessments. The City of Cleveland provides a host of traditional municipal services, such as:  

Roads and Streets              Garbage                           Municipal Court               
Building Permits               Grants                              Zoning and Land Use      Soil Erosion & Sedimentation Control                                Urban Revitalization     Building Inspections
Business Licensing            Water Services               Volunteer Fire
Police Department             Sewer Services

The City of Helen provides a variety of services to its citizens, including municipal services, for a small city that sees over 2 million visitors each year. With a 2005 budget of about $2.2 million, only $310,000 was projected to be collected in property taxes. The remainder was made up from user fees, sales tax, hotel/motel tax, fines and other fees.  The City of Helen provides the following services:

Police Department                           Fire Department           Water Services       Sewer Services
Roads and Streets                             Public Sanitation          Municipal Court      Zoning 
Grant Administration                      Public Library               Landscaping
Building Inspections & Permits