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The Lincoln County Board of Commissioner denied a request Monday from Wallace officials to set a relatively high tax levy for the newly-formed Morning View Cemetery. Cemetery board members Kenny Ogier and Tim Lundvall said three acres were recently acquired to expand the Morning View cemetery and need to be developed. The additional land makes the cemetery more than nine acres in size -- one of the largest cemeteries in Lincoln County. Ogier said the cemetery will need nearly $75,000 per year for the next 2-3 years. Then, the board plans to cut the levy, hopefully by half or more. Although the commissioners refused to set the cemetery tax levy at 0.008, the commissioners advised Ogier and Lundvall to hold a Town Hall meeting with taxpayers in the cemetery district. If the majority in attendance agree, then the cemetery board can set the levy. Otherwise the commissioners said the Morning View board can levy 0.00117, the same as the Sutherland Cemetery, which is the highest cemetery levy in the county. Ogier said that Sutherland levy wouldn’t be enough near Wallace. Sutherland not only has a smaller cemetery, but it has a taxable valuation that is nearly twice as high as Morning View’s. Ogier told the Bulletin that the Morning View board would meet Wednesday to consider a special Town Hall levy election. The Morning View cemetery district was formed earlier this year. The cemetery formerly operated on investment earnings from a bequest, but earnings dropped drastically in late 2008 when the stock market collapsed.
In other business The county commissioners: -- Authorized county roads supervisor Jerry Hitchcock to advertise for bids on motor grader blades. -- Discussed minor cuts to the surveyors and dive team budgets for 2009-10. The overall county budget is expected to increase by nearly 20 percent. -- Authorized, as a loan, a $200,000 transfer from the inheritance tax fund to the general fund to cover health insurance requirements. The county is covering a cost increase in the deductible amount of employee’s insurance. -- Appointed board secretary Tammy White to help pursue federal disaster funds to repair the replica of the Statue of Liberty that stood at the courthouse corner of 3rd and Jeffers. The statuette was damaged June 29 when a twister went over the city. -- Denied Sandhills Distributing’s protest of a late filing penalty of its business and personal property tax schedule. The company provided evidence that its accountant filled out the schedule, but Lincoln County Assessor Mary Ann Long said she didn’t receive it on time. Unfortunately, the company could not proof that the county received the information, Commissioner Joe Hewgley said. -- Went into closed session to discuss personnel.
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