The Mount Vernon City Council adopted the citys 2025 annual estimate during a special meeting Dec. 26, 2024, approving a tax rate the council described as 3.6 and recording unanimous ayes among the four members present.

Councilwoman Brown, during deliberations, said, "the new tax rate is 3.6," and urged a review of the city charters budget procedures by a Charter Review Commission to clarify council authority if a budget were voted down. Brown described planned personnel and operational changes she said would accompany adoption: removal of two positions, contracting for outsourced plan examiners, an IDA-funded position to supplement economic development staff, and using savings to fund an ordinance officer.

Condell Hamilton, assistant comptroller, presented the specific line-item changes that staff and council negotiated over the prior days. He said the city "reduced the travel expense, and membership in dues line in the clerk's office" saving about $7,500, and that the DPW engineering outside contracting line was reduced by $100,000 and reallocated to the building department for outsourced plan examiners. Hamilton also noted DPW materials were reduced from $25,000 to $15,000 and described several smaller cuts in fire and building department lines.

Council members said the revisions were the product of concentrated effort; Council president Gleason thanked Councilwoman Brown for attending at short notice to secure a quorum. After the comptrollers presentation, the council conducted roll call and voted to adopt the 2025 annual estimate.

What the estimate means: The recorded action formalizes the citys fiscal plan for 2025, including the 3.6 tax rate as stated in discussion and the set of line-item reductions and reallocations described by the assistant comptroller. Several implementation steps remain, including posting the adopted budget and following up on the outsourcing and position changes described by council and staff.