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Council passes lower tax rate
SARAH BLASKOVICH, Staff Writer
The property tax rate for Carrollton residents is down 1.5 cents this year, but taxpayers may still receive a larger bill.
The average home in Carrollton is worth about $6,000 more than it was last year, which means some Carrollton taxpayers may owe the city more than they did in the 2006-07 fiscal year, according to Bob Scott, the city’s chief financial officer.
The city’s total budget is almost $1 million smaller than it was last year. The total expenditures and transfers out — which include operating costs, fleet replacement and debt service — is $179,856,257. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The budget cuts were primarily found in “transfers out,” which is money that is transferred into another fund, often for one-time incidents such as fixing potholes and other road improvements, Scott said.
Most of the money that directly affects residents stems from the “general fund,” which includes costs for police and fire departments, libraries, parks and streets. The expenditures and transfers for the general fund total about $81.3 million, and the revenue is about $78.3 million. That $3 million deficit will be taken from an existing fund balance, of which there is about $12.6 million available, Scott said.
One significant change to the budget is that about 5 percent more money will be allocated toward public safety, which includes three new positions in the police department. The city spends about half of the general fund on public safety concerns.
“We’re not just going to throw money at public safety, but yes, it will go up at least as much as other departments,” Scott said. “The year you open a new library or sports complex, you might see other expenditures change. But are police and fire a high priority for the city council? Absolutely.”
The fire department will also enhance its outdoor warning siren system, which will add eight sirens and relocate three. The proposed budget states the updated system will cover 95 percent of the city in the case of an emergency.
Another improvement, Scott said, is the Retail Rehabilitation Grant program, which encourages property owners to update aging shopping centers. Under this program, the city agrees to match as much as half of their costs with totals not to exceed $1 million.
“Aging has been an issue in this town,” Scott said. “A 20-year-old shopping center is obsolete.”
One of the city’s top priorities is to rehabilitate Furneaux Creek Mall. Money will be allocated toward this project from the capital projects fund. If the bond passes at the Nov. 6 election, $1.35 million will be put toward street improvements and rehabilitation of shopping centers, such as Furneaux Creek Mall, in the 2007-08 fiscal year.
Other top concerns include addressing crime rates in hotels and increasing code enforcement in neighborhoods. Two additional code enforcement officers were added in the 2007-08 budget.
The city hosted two public hearings to discuss the budget, but there was no public participation, Scott said.
“Hopefully, if there are any concerns about the budget, it would have come out before now,” he said.
A copy of the current budget, as well as those from the past three years, can be found at www.cityofcarrollton.com.
Contact Sarah Blaskovich at 972-628-4074 or SBlaskovich@acnpapers.com.
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