County plans to levy

St. Joseph County plans to levy 4.5482 percent of taxable value in excess of $1.8 billion, following a vote taken by the board of commissioners Tuesday.

Money generated from the levy, which is applied to county property owners, accounts for almost two-thirds of the tax dollars the county collects annually, according to county administrator Judy West-Wing.

She said money generated from the fixed operating millage is used for primary operations overseen by the county.

Commissioner Gerald Loudenslager cast the dissenting vote against the levy amount. Loudenslager said he would have preferred a levy closer to 4.4 percent, as the county earlier this year had about $6 million in its general fund.

West-Wing, after the meeting said, the county needs to keep the amount of money on hand because it doesn’t receive tax dollars until early July and has to rely on its money in the bank to cover day-to-day expenses.