W.B. approves $10.9M budget
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WEST BURLINGTON — City council members approved a $5.2 million budget for next fiscal year that includes a 14 cent reduction in the city’s tax levy.
Prior to Wednesday’s public hearing, the council had opted to retain in the 2008-09 budget last year’s tax levy rate of $10 per $1,000 of assessed value.
However, councilman Rod Crowner argued during regular session that the levy was too high. He suggested the rate be cut 14 cents in response to a reduction in the West Burlington School District’s tax levy. The move would lower the overall tax levy by $1, he said.
The school district was able to reduce its levy by 86 cents due to the release of $13.9 million in tax increment financing district valuation by the city last month. The district’s current levy rate is $21.14 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Crowner, along with council members Rick Raleigh and Therese Lees, supported the 9.86 tax levy rate, while councilmen Tom Law and Marc Pilger voted against it. Minutes later, the council unanimously approved the 2008-09 budget, which begins July 1.
Residential property owners will pay 44.08 percent of their property’s value based on this fiscal year’s state tax rollback.
The rollback is offset by a 10 percent equalization order imposed by the state on residential property.
Due to the increase, a home valued at $100,000 is assessed at $10,000 more than the current fiscal year, which increases its taxable value from $44,000 to nearly $50,000.
Rollback for commercial properties dropped to 99.73 percent, while agricultural and industrial properties remains at 100 percent.
Coupled with the tax levy reductions, a commercial property valued at $105,200 would end up costing about $100 less in taxes when the rollback is factored in, according to city officials.
Garbage rates are slated to increase from $8.03 to $8.15 a month for an increase of $1.44 annually.
In other business, the council:
* Approved the purchase of laptop computers for council members at a cost of about $600 each.
* Approved the hiring of Alyssa Sarazin and Joel Schneden as seasonal help for the public works department.
* Hired Metzger-Johnson Architects of Burlington to design a building addition to the city’s fire station.
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