BURTON CITY COUNCIL RAISES TAX RATE FOLLOWING HEATED PUBLIC HEARING
After discussion that occasionally grew tense, the Burton City Council on Tuesday adopted an increased property tax rate.
The new tax rate of $0.3363 per $100 valuation is roughly four cents more than the previous rate of $0.297267. The maintenance and operations (M&O) side of the rate is decreasing, sitting now at $0.43823 compared to $0.45349, but the interest and sinking (I&S) portion is going up to $0.292477 from $0.251918.
Adoption of the new rate was not unanimous and followed pushback from several citizens in attendance at the public hearing. They spoke on the impact of the higher taxes and expressed frustration about what they felt was poor communication regarding the increase, which is due to the city’s debt payments for the new water well combined with existing debt obligations.
One of the main complaints from residents stemmed from previous statements from the city that the new well payments should not lead to a tax increase. City Secretary Angela Harrington said the city thought it would be able to handle the added payments without raising taxes, but that was before seeing the full list of payments. The city plans to have the debt from its 2016 obligations paid off in September 2027, meaning there will be a two-year overlap with the payments for the new well.
Chuck Johnson, one of the residents who spoke, said he feels citizens were led to believe the city would be okay, but now with this tax hike, combined with the increase in utility rates, he is concerned moving forward.
Mayor Karen Buck said nothing was done out of the ordinary in terms of how the city notified the public of the proposed change to the tax rate, and that she and Harrington have been available at city hall to answer questions or concerns. Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Eckhardt, however, said that given the city’s situation, more should have been done to inform residents of why the tax increase was needed.
Washington County Chief Appraiser Dyann White said the city expects its tax levy to increase by $21,000 with the new rate. She said the total levy will cover roughly $112,000 of the $124,000 in debt payments, meaning the city will need to pull approximately $12,000 from reserves. Councilmember Paul McLaughlin said the city is “not trying to punish anyone” with this tax rate increase and that this money will go back into the city’s infrastructure.
When it came time for a vote, all councilmembers who were present, apart from Eckhardt, voted to adopt the rate. Councilmember Nathan Kalkhake was absent.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council:
- Held an executive session for legal consultation before moving to approve a utility easement regarding a lift station on the south side of town, down South Railroad Street.
- Permitted Burton Friends and Neighbors to purchase and install metal covering over the seating areas at the ball fields for $44,000, at no cost to the city. The purchase is from DDM, and the installation will be handled by Burton Home Builders.
- Agreed to close East Texas Street between North Railroad Street and North Main Street between the hours of 2 and 7 p.m. for “Fun in the Park” on October 4th, hosted by the Burton Beautification Association.