Sheriff starts central warrant division

The centralized warrants division is part of an effort by Montgomery County Commissioners to improve the management and collection of warrants, and is a part of several new additions to the sheriff's office made possible by the new 2012 fiscal budget. Commissioners chose not to raise the tax rate to 49.11 cents per $100 valuation which would have guaranteed the same amount of tax revenue from the previous year. Multiple revenue sources helped to avoid a tax hike which included a $10 million reimbursement from the state for road projects, a .5 percent increase in the collection rate for current taxes, projected taxes on new growth, and county's ability to reach into its rainy day fund, Moore said.