Utility Costs Near Johnson City (Jonesborough, Unicoi: sales, house, heat pump)

[DaveinMtAiry]

We got into it a bit in a few other threads but I thought I'd start a new one so I can fully understand. I'm also trying to get a handle on the Johnson City tax, again for plannng purposes. And I also understand that you pay for fire department service as well.

So I was wondering if I could get some feedback on what typical water/electric/trash/fire department bills looks like in the various areas. Seems to me like heat pumps seem to be the norm, that's too bad. I prefer an oil burning boiler as we have up here. I'm not married to living in JC, in fact I'd prefer the countryside outside of town, so I'd like to avoid that area for the taxes.

Thanks

[GingerSue]

The Johnson City Power Board currently charges a customer fee of $12.51 plus 9 cents per kWh. Compare that to your kWh usage on your local bill to see how the bill would compare if you were here instead. My most recent bill shows I used 651 kWh and my bill was $71.10.

My most recent JC Utility bill of $42.82 broke down as:
Water 12.48
Sewer 17.15
Solid Waste Fee 9.00
Stormwater 3.00
Tax 1.19

I don't know anything about fire department fees, I've never encountered that. We pay sales tax, but we do not pay state income taxes. The difference in sales tax between city and county is pretty small, if I remember correctly, and depends on which city or county you are in.

I think there are additional fees if you live outside the city, such as for trash collection. I think there's a recent thread about that.

Hopefully that will get you started, and others can offer input as well

[DaveinMtAiry]

Thanks Sue, that was very helpful. I hope to hear from others as well. I guess I should have asked about cable/internet service as well.

Since MD de-regulated we have had options for electricity. I'll have to look but I believe it's around .11. I'm assuming the TVA has something to do with the low rates in TN, no? We have a well so I'm not used to paying for water/sewer. That seems a bit high to me but it's been a while since I've paid for water. Are there wells in the countryside or is "city water" the norm pretty much everywhere?

[DaveinMtAiry]

It also seems as if the property taxes in Jonesborough are much higher in the other areas. Is this so?

[370z]

Originally Posted by GingerSue

The Johnson City Power Board currently charges a customer fee of $12.51 plus 9 cents per kWh. Compare that to your kWh usage on your local bill to see how the bill would compare if you were here instead. My most recent bill shows I used 651 kWh and my bill was $71.10.

My most recent JC Utility bill of $42.82 broke down as:
Water 12.48
Sewer 17.15
Solid Waste Fee 9.00
Stormwater 3.00
Tax 1.19

I don't know anything about fire department fees, I've never encountered that. We pay sales tax, but we do not pay state income taxes. The difference in sales tax between city and county is pretty small, if I remember correctly, and depends on which city or county you are in.

I think there are additional fees if you live outside the city, such as for trash collection. I think there's a recent thread about that.

Hopefully that will get you started, and others can offer input as well

Those prices are not bad at all!

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

It also seems as if the property taxes in Jonesborough are much higher in the other areas. Is this so?

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury - Division of Property Assessments - Property Tax Rates
You want Carter, Sullivan, and Washington Counties for comparisons.

[jchometeam]

I had looked at this before- but its interesting that Unicoi County is as high as it is. Washington County is one of the lowest rates. Now, assessed values are likely higher in Jonesborough than in some other areas so you have to be careful with these numbers sometimes.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury - Division of Property Assessments - Property Tax Rates
You want Carter, Sullivan, and Washington Counties for comparisons.

Thanks as usual DubbleT. However this chart is confusing to me and I'm sorry if I appear lazy. The homes I have been looking at are in the $125,000=$150,000 range. The property taxes listed tend to be around $600 more or less.

However this chart is showing total taxes of way over $2,000 and of course that changes everything. I could not see what those rates are based on, a house assessed at $700,000? Or am I way off base in assuming property tax (excluding city tax) to be around $600?

[jchometeam]

The tax that you pay is based off of 25% of the assessed value of the home. So for a 150k house, you pay the tax rate based off of $37,500

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by jchometeam

The tax that you pay is based off of 25% of the assessed value of the home. So for a 150k house, you pay the tax rate based off of $37,500

Thanks. But I'm still confused. I look at the table supplied and see now that I was reading it incorrectly. Using the first listing they say the tax rate for Anderson County is $2.532, I was reading that as $2,532 as in two thousand five hundred dollars. So if I take the tax rate of $37,500 how do I apply the 2.532 figure to get my annual property tax for Anderson County? Does that figure represent 2.532%. So I multiply $37,500 by .02532 to get an annual tax of $949? That seems a bit high considering every other home had taxes around $600 for Johnson City.