Germantown alderman outlines budget schedule and a proposed 29¢ tax increase

Alderman Hicks told the Design Review Commission on May 20 that the city budget process is underway and that the public will have a chance to speak at the second reading and public hearing the second Monday in June, with a final third reading scheduled for the fourth Monday in June.

Hicks said the budget includes a proposed 29¢ tax increase that would fund a range of items, including rising pension costs. "One of the biggest things is, our pension plan. It's almost doubled in the last few years, the cost going to that," Hicks said. He also urged residents to attend hearings and explained that state law requires the city to roll back the tax rate if property appraisals increase so that property-tax revenue to the city remains neutral. "Just because your appraisal value goes up, it does not mean that your taxes are automatically gonna go up," Hicks said. "The word the term is windfall, and it is a state law. So we will actually roll back the tax rate to keep revenues neutral from property taxes."

Hicks noted that the proposed 29¢ increase is intended to fund multiple priorities, including some increases for schools, and said that while some items did not make the budget, there were "a lot of good news" items. He also gave several community announcements tied to the city's summer calendar: Groovin' and Grillin' free concerts at Municipal Park (three bands scheduled for the month), the Vesta Home Show running through May 25, and that the First Watch restaurant façade was repainted to the color the commission had debated.

Hicks encouraged public participation at the budget hearings and said the city will publish budget details ahead of those meetings.