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Groves council approves proposed tax-rate notice, schedules final vote Aug. 25
Summary
City council voted to approve publication of a proposed tax rate that uses the de minimis threshold (authorizing $494,535 in additional property tax revenue) and set a final vote and related public hearings for Aug. 25, 2025.
The Groves City Council voted Aug. 11 to authorize publication of a proposed property tax rate that uses the de minimis calculation and to hold final votes and public hearings on Aug. 25, 2025. The action authorizes using a proposed rate that would raise an additional $494,535 in property taxes for fiscal 2025–26; the council will adopt a final rate at a later meeting.
Finance Director Lamar Ausley explained why the council was taking the step now: “This is part of the charter. We'd have to have a public hearing regarding the appropriation ordinance,” he said, and added the charter-language requirement remains alongside state budget rules. Ausley and staff noted the city’s proposed budget would raise total property taxes by $494,535, or 7.01 percent; $232,908 of that amount is projected to come from new property added to the tax roll this year.
During the hearing resident Dan Moran asked for a clearer breakdown of where property-tax dollars go, saying, “I wanna see that pie that you break down ... where is this money gonna go to?” Council and staff answered that most property-tax revenue funds public safety and that the general fund and enterprise funds cover other services; staff offered to provide more detailed charts and to make them available online.
Council members also approved motions to schedule and publish required hearings: a public hearing on the proposed tax rate on Aug. 25 and related appropriation and budget adoption votes on that date. City staff said the Aug. 25 date is for final votes after required notices and hearings; the Aug. 11 action authorizes the publication the assessor’s office requires to begin that process.
No final tax rate was set Aug. 11; the council explicitly treated the vote as authorization to publish and to proceed to the Aug. 25 hearings and final vote.
The council’s action follows state public-notice language for budgets and the city charter’s appropriation-ordinance rules; staff said the de minimis language used allows the city to raise the described amount in total property-tax revenue for the coming fiscal year.
