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City council lowers tax rate on property
By Brandi Hart, McKinney Courier-Gazette
McKinney City Council unanimously approved the 58.55 cents per $100 property valuation tax rate, which is one-fourth of 1 cent lower than the existing tax rate, at its Tuesday meeting.
The new tax rate will become effective Oct. 1, when the 2007-08 fiscal year begins. The current tax rate is 58.8 cents per $100 valuation, which will be effective through Sept. 31.
All council members voted for the lower tax rate. However, council members Bill Vitz and Gilda Garza said they were not in favor of it.
Garza said she felt the tax rate decrease was not enough, but she knows residents need a decrease in taxes.
Council member Pete Huff said the 58.55 cents per $100 property valuation tax rate is “obviously a compromise position” for the council.
“We’ve had more tax on population growth than growth in the city. It’s difficult to pick items to cut,” Huff said. “I think government is supposed to be more effective each year.”
Council member Brian Loughmiller said he has been in favor of a tax rate reduction, but it was not his desire to cut positions in public safety areas.
“I certainly hope as new council members come in that we can look at the revenue stream. It doesn’t appear to be much of a break. I do think cumulatively it is significant,” Loughmiller said.
Because of the lower tax rate, the following positions originally included in the proposed 2007-08 budget have been removed: a development review planner with an annual salary of $66,172; an internal auditor with an annual salary of $93,124; and parks and recreation maintenance assistant with an annual salary of least $40,000.
The tax rate will give taxpayers who have a home valued at $207,000 an additional $4.80 annually, or about 40 cents per month.
The council also unanimously approved the 2007-08 budget. The budget includes total combined revenues of $276,977,570 and total expenditures of $292,936,329. The budget includes an additional 77.5 new staff positions, and 20 of those are in the McKinney Police Department and 19 are in the McKinney Fire Department.
The council also unanimously approved an ordinance amending the municipal surface water drainage utility system. The amendment increases the monthly drainage fee from $1 to $2.75 per month, and provides a $200 fee cap for commercial properties.
Loughmiller asked what the fees will be used for. Michael Hebert, assistant city engineer, said the fees will be used to help clean several streams and creeks throughout the city, such as Jeans Creek, east of the Collin County Community College District’s Central Park Campus, Comegys Creek, which is on either side of U.S. 75, and the Branch Creek, east and west of Throckmorton Road.
The council also unanimously approved the abandonment of an alley between Bass Street and Waddill Street so the Waddill Street Baptist Church can expand. About 10 church members attended the meeting in support of the abandonment.
In other news the council:
Council member Bill Cox praised Jennifer Fung, executive director of the Finance Department and Administrative Services Department, and her staff for their hard work on compiling the budget and tax rate. Cox also praised Hebert and the Engineering Department’s work on the city’s healthy creeks and streams program.
Council approved the following art grants (organization, amount requested, amount granted):
The city also received the following grant requests, which the council did not approve: an $110,000 request from the Collin County Historical Society; $9,550 from the Heritage Guild of Collin County; $5,660 from the McKinney Brass Camp; $12,500 from the McKinney Rotary Club; $8,650 from the Tuzer Ballet.
Contact staff writer Brandi Hart at hartb@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
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