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Laurens County collected
$22.7 million
in total revenues in 2000. In 2004, the county received
$30.2 million,
an increase
of 33.4%.
Total revenue in 2004 equaled
$650 per capita.
The statewide revenue per capita for this same year was
$736.
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From 2000 to 2004, own source revenues for Laurens County
rose
from $17.4 million
to $23.1 million,
an increase
of 32.6%.
Own source revenues include revenues from property taxes,
sales taxes, and excise and special use taxes.
Per capita own source revenues amounted
to $496 in 2004.
This compares to a statewide per capita amount of
$631.
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The county collected an average of
$150
per capita in property taxes during the past five years. This amount was
less than
the average of
$198
per capita collected by counties with similarly-sized populations. For the same period,
the average per capita amount of county property tax collected in Georgia
was $288.
On average, property taxes accounted for
35.0% of the county's
own source revenue during the period of 2000 to 2004.
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General operating expenditures for Laurens County in 2000
equaled $21.4 million,
or $476
per capita. By 2004, general operating expenditures
increased
by 18.6%
to $25.3 million,
or $564 per capita.
General operating expenditures per capita for
counties with similarly-sized populations was
$489
in 2004. The statewide average was
$626
per capita during the same period.
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Historically, the top three expenditure categories for counties are
public safety, administration, and health and human services. In 2004,
Laurens County spent
$4.8 million or
16.8%
of total county spending on public safety which includes
law enforcement, fire services and jails. Expenditures for administration
totaled
$2.8 million, amounting to
9.6%
of total expenditures. The county expended
$7.7 million or
26.7%
of total expenditures on health and human services.
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From 2000 to 2004, Laurens County had an average of
$3.9 million in
long-term debt outstanding,
resulting in an average per
capita debt of $86.
This amount was
less than
the $191
per capita average of counties with similarly-sized populations.
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