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Ferguson supervisors reject 1-mill real estate tax after hours of public comment
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing during which residents questioned budget priorities and services, the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors voted 3 No to 2 Yes against a proposed 1-mill real estate tax increase (to 4.172 mills). The board authorized advertising the 2026 operating budget without the mill increase and asked a tax review board to study long-term options.
Ferguson Township's Board of Supervisors closed a marathon public hearing Dec. 2 after residents voiced broad concerns about rising local costs, service levels and development revenue—and then voted down a proposed 1-mill increase in the township's real estate tax.
Vice Chair Omari Patterson moved to adopt the resolution to raise the real estate tax by 1 mill (bringing the township rate to 4.172 mills). After public comment and board deliberations, the roll call was: Thompson No, Patterson Yes, Stevens Yes, Heller No, Strickland No. The motion failed, 3 No to 2 Yes.
The hearing drew dozens of speakers who criticized the scale and pace of recent tax increases, questioned whether developer projects would yield the promised revenue soon enough, and pressed for clearer accounting of reserves, consultant fees and capital projects. Residents also raised specific service concerns, including snow- and ice-clearing response during the morning storm and the effect of prior fee repeals (hydrant and stormwater) on the budget.
Township staff and the finance director described cost pressures they said are driving the tentative 2026 budget: multiyear wage and benefits increases for first responders and public works, higher contractor bids and inflation across goods and services. The finance director said real estate tax revenue was about $2.0 million in the current year while earned-income tax collections were roughly $8.4 million, underscoring that earned-income remains the larger revenue source.
Ahead of final adoption, Supervisor Heller moved and the board approved advertising the draft 2026 operating budget for the Dec. 9 public hearing "minus the proposed 1-mill real estate tax increase." The board also authorized staff to reconvene the charter-established tax review board to develop a longer-term tax strategy and asked for additional public engagement in budget review meetings earlier in the process.
What happens next: Because the charter provides a default if no budget is adopted by Jan. 1, the board said it would schedule additional meetings if needed to avoid reverting to the manager's originally proposed budget. The board indicated it will continue line-by-line budget review and seek community participation before any future tax change.
