Wilson County leadership proposes tripling wheel tax for 2025

WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The worker shortage, which has impacted everything from restaurant service to police response times, could mean a tax increase in Wilson County.

Commissioners are talking about increasing the wheel tax by as much as triple.

“If you are going to continue to attract and retain quality employees, you are going to have to pay for them,” Wilson County Finance Director Aaron Maynard said.

In a Wilson County Commission’s Budget Committee meeting, Maynard explained that at this point, county services like the sheriff’s department cannot afford to lose another person.

Maynard told News 2 that Wilson County was closing ambulance stations two years ago due to a lack of people and pay.

“So it’s extremely important to stay on top of employee compensation if you are going to be able to provide the services to the citizens of the county,” Maynard said.

Maynard said the public often asks for alternatives to increasing property taxes. Now, commissioners are looking at one.

“So I think some county commissioners decided that a wheel tax would be something to consider,” Maynard explained.

As it stands now, the current wheel tax is $25, but if the resolution were to pass, vehicle registration could cost $50 or $75 by Jan. 1, 2025.

Maynard told News 2 that if the tax were increased by $25, it would raise $3 million, and if it were increased by $50, city employees would benefit by about $7 million.

“We are all under tremendous inflationary pressure, including wages,” Maynard said. 

“I am not advocating that property taxes go up,” Mt. Juliet resident and Senior Property Tax Manager Derrick Hammond said. “What I am advocating is everyone pays their fair share.”

Hammond told News 2 that Wilson County is losing tax dollars due to inequities in property taxes.

“I would like to think that our local municipalities are being responsible for those tax dollars, but they are not necessarily freely letting them go, [and instead] holding them for a rainy day,” Hammond explained.

At 7 p.m. Monday, June 17, the resolution will be presented in a public hearing at the Wilson County Courthouse.

In order to proceed with the proposal, the resolution would need to be approved by two-thirds of the county commission in two meetings, but for the time being, Maynard said they need the funding.

“We all wish that there were ways to do it that don’t require additional revenue, but from my seat, I don’t see it,” Maynard said.