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Wheel Tax Fails in Sumner County

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Sumner County schools will not get the proceeds from a $25 wheel tax hike. Photo by Blake Farmer/WPLN

Sumner County schools will not get the proceeds from a $25 wheel tax hike. Photo by Blake Farmer/WPLN

A wheel tax hike to fund schools in Sumner County failed overwhelmingly. More than 60 percent of voters were against the $25 tax increase, even after a budget stalemate led to a two-week delay in the opening of schools this year.

Joann Brown is a retiree from Westmoreland who doesn’t believe the school system is in such dire need.

“The school can find money if they want it. There are senior citizens that don’t have a very big income and still have to pay it, and I don’t think it’s right.”

The Sumner County wheel tax hike was to raise nearly $3 million a year.

Not everyone voting “no” was against raising taxes of any kind. Some said the county commission should instead raise property taxes – the traditional source of school funding.

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Blake Farmer, Host, This Is Nashville

Blake Farmer is the host of “This Is Nashville,” the flagship weekday show of Nashville Public Radio. Previously, Blake spent 16 years at WPLN News, serving as host, editor and news director. Before a two-year radio hiatus with a Nashville-based healthcare company, Blake was one of the country’s most prolific healthcare audio journalists. He produced stories for both local and national programs, extending the reach of his reporting through a partnership with KFF Health News. Outside of work, Blake can be found running or biking on roads that other Nashvillians consider too busy for such activities. So far, he has always made it home to his wife of 20 years and two children.

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