A public hearing set by the Town of Phenix Tuesday night was scheduled to hear public comment regarding the 2018- 19 budget and an ordinance to begin receiving the utility tax.

According to the town, “this is a tax that the other towns have been receiving for years. Phenix’s portion has been going to the county. We will began to get our portion once the ordinance is completed.”

The utility tax has been the topic of discussion at several Charlotte County Board of Supervisors meetings in the past.

In January, Red Oak/Wylliesburg Supervisor Kay Pierantoni said the towns of Drakes Branch, Charlotte Court House and Keysville were the only towns in the county that take the tax for the respective towns from the citizens.

According to Pierantoni, the tax was originally implemented to help pay the cost for Eureka Elementary School when it was built in 1983.

However, the school has been paid for now.

She said the money comes directly from the utility companies to those towns.

Pierantoni previously said the tax was unfair to the rest of the citizens in the county who did not live in those towns, because “the tax that the rest of us pays goes into the general fund.”

Phenix/Aspen Supervisor Donna Fore previously said the tax did not benefit her constituents.

“ … They basically pay their tax for nothing, it’s not benefiting them, unless you live in Keysville, Charlotte Court House or Drakes Branch, my people don’t get any money from that county utility tax, ” she said.

According to the revised Town of Phenix Electric Consumers Utility Tax Ordinance, residential consumers could see a $1.40 tax plus the rate of $0.015217 on each kWh delivered monthly to residential consumers by a service provider.

A monthly tax levy also applies to non-residential consumers, commercial consumers and industrial consumers.

“The service provider shall bill the electricity consumer tax to all users who are subject to the tax and to whom it delivers electricity and shall remit the same to this jurisdiction on a monthly basis …,” said the revised ordinance.

Additionally, the revised ordinance said such taxes should be paid by the service provider to the jurisdiction.

“I’m not trying to hurt the towns, they can keep getting that money if they want to, but we’re gonna have to find a way to be fair to the other citizens of our county …,” said Pierantoni previously at the January meeting.

No adjustments have been currently placed in the upcoming 2018-19 proposed county budget regarding the utility tax.