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San Juan schedules public hearing on proposed 2025–26 tax rate; residents ask questions at first reading
Summary
The City Commission opened a public hearing and voted to set a proposed tax rate for fiscal 2025–26 and schedule a required second hearing Sept. 9, 2025, after staff said the proposed rate exceeds the 'unused increment' threshold. Residents asked about grants, abatements and how the city will cover new debt.
The City Commission of San Juan opened a public hearing and voted to set a proposed tax rate for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025, and ending Sept. 30, 2026, and scheduled a follow-up public hearing for Sept. 9, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the San Juan Memorial Library multipurpose room, 1010 S. Standard.
City staff said the proposed rate requires a public hearing because, as presented at the meeting, it “exceeds the unused increment rate.” The staff presentation included the phrase “post tax rate 6.775 per 100,” and staff said the required second hearing will be Sept. 9, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the library multipurpose room.
The item drew questions from residents about what the number would mean for individual taxpayers, how new capital projects would affect debt, and whether businesses receiving tax abatements shift tax burdens to homeowners. One resident said, “But you have some business coming in to get, I don't know how many years of tax breaks,” and asked how that affects city revenue. City staff responded that abatements typically include performance benchmarks and “if they don't, we get to claw back those benefits.”
Staff and commissioners emphasized that the public hearing at the meeting constituted a first reading and that the commission will return for subsequent consideration. Staff also noted that property appraisals are handled by the county appraisal district and not by the commission. A staff member said the hearing provides time for questions and for the public to request documents, including grant records, via an open-records request if needed.
The commission closed the hearing after public comment and voted to set the proposed rate and schedule the additional public hearing. The motion carried by voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record.
The action sets the formal timeline for the tax-rate process: multiple public hearings before a final adoption vote will occur before the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2025. Residents seeking more detail were told to contact the city manager or the directors leading specific projects for grant and abatement documentation.
