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Benton City Council approves amended levy ordinance to capture about $37,900 in previously unlevied capacity
Summary
The Benton City Council on Nov. 25 approved Ordinance 1071 as amended — a correction to how the city tracked "banked capacity" for property tax levies that officials say will allow the city to collect roughly $37,916 it had previously not been able to access. City leaders said the change should not raise taxes for current residents.
The Benton City Council on Nov. 25 approved Ordinance 1071 as amended on its second reading, moving to correct a longstanding discrepancy in how the city tracked "banked capacity" for property tax levies.
Chair said the city had worked with the Department of Revenue and the Benton County Assessor's Office to reconcile levy calculations and confirmed the proper revised levy rate is 16.07715% and that previously unlevied capacity totals about $37,916. "This will essentially catch the city up," the Chair said, describing the change as a correction to past ordinance language rather than a new tax on current residents.
Why it matters: Council members said the city's ordinance language had limited levy increases to an annual 1% addition in a way that excluded state assessments, new construction and annexations when banked capacity was later applied. That omission meant the city had not been including several allowable components in earlier levy certifications, producing an accumulated, larger capacity the city had not accessed.
The presenter said the $37,916 will be added to prior levy receipts (the city previously levied about $235,000), producing a revised levy total described during the meeting as in the neighborhood of $281,000 to $294,000; officials emphasized the adjustment draws on existing, allowable revenue sources rather than increasing rates paid by longstanding residents.
Council procedure: The ordinance had been presented at a prior meeting as a first reading. After staff consultations with county and state officials the ordinance was brought back "as amended" to reflect the corrected calculations. A council member moved to approve Ordinance 1071 as amended on its second reading; another member seconded and the council approved the motion by voice vote. The Chair declared the motion passed.
The council recorded routine business earlier in the meeting — roll call, pledge of allegiance and approval of the agenda — and had no public hearings or visitor comments on the docket. With no unfinished business after the ordinance vote, the council moved to adjourn.
What happens next: The Chair indicated staff will complete the revised levy certification based on the amended ordinance and submit the corrected figures to the county for processing.
