December 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City Council Votes to Keep Tax Rate
at Last Year’s Level
DECATUR - Decatur residents will not see an increase in the city’s portion of their property tax bill next year, barring property reassessment, following a decision by the Decatur City Council Monday night.
The council voted 6-1 in favor of a tax levy that keeps the city's property tax rate the same as last year to fund obligations that the city pays with property taxes. In the past those obligations have included police, fire and other employee pensions, funding for the library, municipal band, a portion of the Decatur Public Transit System’s operating cost and bond debt service.
This year funding for the municipal band and transit system will be drawn out of the city’s general fund, not property taxes, and funding for the library will be reduced by about $387,000. The additional expenses added to the general fund will increase the city’s projected deficit next year to about $4.5 million which the city will most likely have to fund through additional budget cuts including a reduction in the number of city employee positions.
A resident’s total tax bill is made up of levies from several local taxing bodies and Monday’s city council vote will have no impact on the levies of those entities. Under the levy approved Monday night, the city’s tax rate would not increase but the city could bring in about $275,000 more than last year based on the estimated increase in local property values.
In other business the council voted to increase the cost of bus rides from 75 cents to 1 dollar, moving Decatur bus fees more in line with costs in other communities. The increase represents the first since May 2002 and seniors and disabled passengers will continue to ride free.
For more information contact Billy Tyus at 424-2753.