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Council announces preliminary levy at about 16%, schedules budget adoption for Dec. 9
Summary
City officials said the preliminary general fund tax levy was reduced to roughly a 16% increase after expense cuts; they told members the budget must be adopted Dec. 9 and can be lowered but not raised from the announced preliminary rate.
The chair announced that the city’s preliminary general fund tax levy has been revised down from an initial 18% estimate to about 16% after staff removed several expenses.
The chair said council members must note that the preliminary figure will be announced this meeting and the council will adopt the budget on Dec. 9. "On December 9th we will adopt our budget," the chair said, adding that the council can adopt a lower increase but cannot adopt a higher one once announced. The official also provided a per‑percentage estimate: "1% is $15,000 roughly so 10% is $150,000."
Members at the meeting compared the preliminary increase to figures reported at a recent intercity meeting. One member said the average preliminary increase from that meeting was about 12%, a number that the chair noted places the city above several peers.
The revised preliminary levy is still subject to adjustment before adoption; staff said they will continue to review line items over the next months and return with updates. The council scheduled work on budget line items over the coming weeks and was reminded that the adoption vote is set for Dec. 9.
The meeting record includes a motion to approve a resolution related to the levy and budget (transcript references packet materials). The transcript gives two different identifiers for a packet item (an earlier reference to "resolution 2024 29" and a later-motion reference to "resolution 202 2430"); the transcript is inconsistent on the resolution identifier and does not clearly capture a mover, seconder, or a numeric vote tally. The motion was recorded in the transcript as carried.
