The Gladewater City Council unanimously approved vetoing the Upshur County Appraisal District’s proposed budget for 2014 Thursday night, becoming the third taxing entity to reject the budget containing a controversial five percent pay raise for district employees, said Upshur County Precinct 3 Commissioner Frank Berka.

At least six more governmental entities that levy property taxes in the county must approve a veto resolution by July 10 in order to negate the budget, and Berka told the Tyler Morning Telegraph he believed he could convince them to do so. He said he asked the Gladewater council for its veto at its Thursday night meeting.

He said he also pointed out that Gladewater citizens not only would pay city taxes to fund the city’s portion of the appraisal district budget, but that they would pay county taxes toward the $213,000 which would be the county’s share of funding the district.