Votes at a glance: Monticello council approves property tax levy and special‑service-area levies; grocery‑tax change fails

Monticello’s City Council on Nov. 24 approved the FY2026 property tax levy and levy assessments for three special service areas while rejecting a proposed municipal grocery/service occupation tax.

Council approved ordinance 2025-77, the property tax levy for fiscal year 2026; staff said the draft levy increases property‑tax revenues by an estimated 4.9% compared with the prior year. The council also approved ordinances 2025-78, 2025-79 and 2025-80 to levy assessments for Special Service Areas 3 (Sage Meadows), 4 (Walden Pond) and 5 (Dancing Acres), measures staff described as tools to incentivize development.

Council debated ordinance 2025-63, which would have implemented a municipal grocery retailers occupation tax and a municipal grocery service occupation tax. Staff and members said available data do not cleanly break out eligible grocery items from general sales tax collections; estimates mentioned in the discussion ranged from a conservative $50,000 to as high as $200,000–$300,000 in potential revenue, though staff said precise figures were not available. After roll call the motion failed (transcript records a tie and the mayor voting no), so the grocery/service occupation tax change was not approved.

Other routine business: the consent agenda (claims, minutes and reports) was approved by roll-call vote, and the council authorized the mayor to participate remotely due to health reasons after a successful procedural motion. The meeting concluded after the police chief gave a brief public-safety update and staff previewed parade traffic adjustments.

What’s next: The levy ordinances take effect per the council actions taken at the meeting; staff indicated they will monitor revenue outcomes for the grocery/tax issue and that the special service area levies are intended to support near‑term development incentives.