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Council approves 70.5-cent real estate tax rate
Fredericksburg City Council votes on tax rate, budgetDate published: 5/27/2009 BY EMILY BATTLE Fredericksburg residents will probably pay a 70.5-cent real estate tax next year. The City Council last night took the first of two required votes to approve that tax rate, and the $72.5 million budget it will help fund. The current real estate tax rate is 56 cents per $100 of value. The rate increase would provide the $1.6 million more from the real estate tax that this budget depends on, while also compensating for a nearly 13 percent decline in property values after this year's assessment. Councilmen Brad Ellis and Matt Kelly cast the only two votes against the tax rate and the budget. Kelly presented an alternative budget plan that would have raised the meals tax by a half-percent, and included a lower, 69-cent real estate tax rate. The council voted in a work session last month, however, to raise the real estate tax another penny instead of touching the meals tax, and a majority of Kelly's colleagues did not want to revisit that decision. While Kelly and Ellis both said they thought the city needed to do more to prioritize its spending on outside agencies, Mayor Tom Tomzak said there just wasn't time to look deeply into which groups should get money. But he pointed out that nonprofits really don't constitute that large a portion of the city budget. "If we cut out all the human needs agencies, we're talking about probably $100,000 out of a $72 million budget," Tomzak said. Despite the tax increases, this budget is 5.2 percent smaller than the current budget. The city will give the schools $700,000 less next year than they got this year. City employees who make $70,000 or more a year will see a half-percent salary reduction. The city personnel budget will pay for 11 fewer employees next year. Councilman George Solley pointed out that the cuts will have an impact. "We simply have cut back to the point where it's noticeable, and will be noticeable in the way we conduct our business over the coming year," Solley said. "None of us know what the situation will be a year from now. We may have to cut back further." The city council still has to take a second vote on both the tax rate and the budget. That will come after a June 9 public hearing on the tax rate.
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 5/27/2009
hey Styles
(posted by
homercles82
, May 28, 2009 8:42 am)
We are here and making noise but these big dummies in the government are going to do what they want. The only way to make a difference in it is to vote them out. You want us to barnstorm their offices and tear up the documnts? Sorry but TEA party goers are more rational than that.
A Few Numbers of Interest
(posted by
MattKelly
, May 27, 2009 2:26 pm)
The overall decline in residential value was 24%. The value of commercial real estate remainded relatively constant. Since instituting a hiring freeze we have left 25 full-time positions vacant. The number of people employed by the city averages around 350.
Buget Numbers..
(posted by
PaulM
, May 27, 2009 10:05 am)
I'm not sure where the $72 Million number comes from. According to the city's website in the City Budget Manager's section where the budget is, the 2009 budget is $76.5 million. Maybe they've made cuts but they haven't updated their website?
I agree with FredMan. Why can't the city cut the budget (even more if they've actually cut the budget this year). I own a business in town and certainly have to cut my budget according to my sales. I can't imagine raising prices by 14.5%.
It's a 26% increase if the city
(posted by
Doppelganger
, May 27, 2009 9:58 am)
did not decrease the actual house assessments for each house in the city. If they changed actual assessments downward then the math whizzes here are correct. Does anyone know if they did?
In any case, they need to cut their staff salaries and eliminate positions that do not directly contribute to citizen services. *% of city wokers should become unemployed just like in the private sector.
Tea Party
(posted by
Styles
, May 27, 2009 9:16 am)
Where are the folks who organized and attended the Fredericksburg Tea Party? I know they're not going to stand around and let the city raise real estate taxes while property values continue to sink. I'm waiting for the outrage.
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