Letter to the editor
Dear Editor:
I just wanted to set the record straight about what a big financial supporter the Town of Farragut is — and has been — of the four public schools located in our town limits. We give much more than our fair share to support our schools — more than our population figures indicate that we should. All the while, we are operating our town in a fiscally conservative and debt-free manner. As the mayor for the past eight years, I’m proud of that record.
According to the Knox County trustee, in the last fiscal year, the Town of Farragut generated $24,839,289 in property taxes. Knox County collected a total of $314,965,778 in property taxes that year.
This means that while the Town of Farragut is only 3.2% of Knox County's total land mass, we generated 7.8% of the total property taxes Knox County collected. And it’s important to remember that Knox County does not take care of our roads, stormwater, parks, community center, engineering, planning and other infrastructure needs. We do all that ourselves.
In addition, the Town of Farragut generated $10,899,674 in local sales tax for Knox County Schools, and we generated $274,910 in mixed drink taxes for Knox County Schools. This doesn’t even consider direct funding of over $120,000 the town gives to each of the schools and the Farragut High School foundation, along with countless hours our staff helps support special projects at each of the schools throughout the year.
In short, the Town of Farragut is already a strong supporter of our Farragut schools. And we have been since the town was established in 1980.
Thank you for letting me ensure that Farragut residents are completely informed of all the facts relevant to Farragut school funding.
~ Ron Williams
Mayor, Town of Farragut
