After a brief public hearing Tuesday, the Adams County Board of Supervisors approved a 2000-2001 budget with a slight tax rate increase.

After only one person at the hearing asked a question, the board voted to approve a 1.95 millage increase, which would add about $19 to the tax bill of a house valued at $100,000.

Supervisor said Tuesday they were pleased with the outcome of the budget.

&uot;I feel good about the budget because I felt we made some significant cuts to reduce it as much as possible,&uot; said Supervisor Darryl Grennell.

The board has spent the past several weeks studying the budget and making cuts where possible.

Supervisor Thomas &uot;Boo&uot; Campbell said the board only raised taxes as little as necessary, and he said he thinks most taxpayers understand this.

&uot;I think the majority of the people realize we had not raised the taxes to an exorbitant level,&uot; said Campbell. He thought most members of the public expressed comments on the budget at last week’s public hearing so that is why the attendance Tuesday was low.

Butch McEwen was the only person at the hearing to ask a question Tuesday. At a hearing last week, more than 50 people crowded into the supervisors meeting room.

McEwen asked supervisors how many people worked for the county. He also asked why a house in Warren County valued the same as a house at Adams County would cost the Warren County taxpayer less.

Adams County Tax Assessor Reynolds Atkins said a house valued at about $85,000 would cost a Warren County resident about $175 less in school and county taxes — including homestead exemption — than in Adams County.

But Warren County has a lower school and county millage rate — 77.38 mills as opposed to about 100 in Adams County, Atkins said.

That difference is partly due to extra revenue Warren County receives, such as casino revenue, supervisors said.

The new Adams County budget includes such items as funding for the construction and operation for juvenile justice center on State Street.

The budget also includes extra funding for the road department and a pay increase for county employees — their first in at least three years.

The county board debated giving employees a raise last year but pulled the item at the last minute because of public concern over a tax increase.

&uot;That’s one of the things I was pushing for last year,&uot; Grennell said. &uot;I’m glad to see that they got them this year.&uot;

Board President Virginia Salmon said she thought all board members had supported the pay increase this year.

Supervisor Lynwood Easterling thanked county officials for working to reduce department budgets this year. He agrees the supervisors tried to keep the increase as low as possible this year out of concern for the taxpayers. &uot;We’ve trimmed and trimmed,&uot; Easterling said. &uot;(But) this is sort of like an industry and it has to operate for the county.&uot;

Adams County’s approved budget will generate $8,608,329 in ad valorem tax revenue for the county — 5.2 percent more than the current year.

The county’s new millage rate is 56.76, with each mill valued at $160,792. This is only equal to about 53 percent of county revenues.

The supervisors were required by law to adopt their budget by Sept. 15 and to publish a statement of the revenues and expenses of the budget by Sept. 30.

In other business, the supervisors:

4Heard from Easterling that residents who vote at the District 5 county barn precinct on Foster Mound Road, will still be able to vote there during the November election. The building is being renovated into a volunteer fire station and may be under construction at that time.

4Approved travel for a Justice Court program.

4Approved annual changes in homestead exemptions.

4Voted to notify the owner of 18 Stardust Drive to clean up overgrowth on the property.