POTTER COUNTY, TEXAS -- Potter County commissioners have voted to increase the property tax rate by nearly six percent and re-draw some county lines.

The tax hike passed on a 3-2 vote.  Commissioners hope the increase will help reduce the $2 million budget deficit in the county.  Also, county employees will receive a four percent pay raise.

An unanimous 5-0 vote changed some of the Potter County lines.  Precincts One and Three did a swap out of about 3,000 people to allow for a balanced number of people based on population. 

"Basically, it helped the voters in these precincts so that they would be closer to home when they vote," Precinct One Commissioner H.R. Kelly said.  "Basically, you want to balance it out to where each precinct is fair and I think that that's been done."

Precinct One mostly covers West Amarillo and rural parts of the county are mostly covered by Precinct Three.