County tax hike more likely; idea to move sales tax dollars for debt looks ...

A maneuver Barrow County officials had hoped would allow the county to shift $3 million next year is apparently not legal.

Barrow leaders had wanted to use a new law being signed this week by the governor to call a vote on abandoning the proposed cultural arts center project on Hwy. 316 and using that money instead to pay on the notes for two land purchases made several years ago.

But state officials said Wednesday that such a move doesn’t appear to be legally possible.

That means the possibility of a large tax hike goes up as officials scramble to fill a huge gap between projected income and projected expenses next year.

Barrow is facing a $4-$5 million deficit in its upcoming FY2012 budget. County CFO Rose Kisaalita declined to release to the Journal her projection of the size of the pending budget crisis, but a county source said she has privately given the same worst-case scenario that BOC chairman Danny Yearwood has been warning about for several weeks.

For the full story, see the May 11 issue of the Barrow Journal.