By Michael V. Hannigan
The Athens City Council was updated on the Fiscal Year 2017 Proposed Budget Monday night and scheduled public hearings for both the budget and the proposed tax rate.
The public hearings will be 5:30 p.m. Aug. 22 and Aug. 29 at the Athens Partnership Center, 201 W. Corsicana Street.
Mayor Jerry Don Vaught said he was very happy with the way the proposed budget turned out.
“This year’s budget is incredible,” he said. “I truly have not seen a better budget.”
The first thing people will notice is about a .04 cent increase to the proposed tax rate, from .6451450 to .685221 per $100 valuation. To use the old standby explanation, that would mean a $40 a year increase on a $100,000 property.
City Manager Philip Rodriguez said one of the reasons for the increase was a drop in overall property value across the city. The council also decided to invest in some public safety upgrades.
“Yes we are going to do a small tax increase, but it is very necessary for us to keep doing the services that we do for this city,” Vaught said.
The following two slides lists some of the highlights from the proposed budget, including new police officers, upgrades to siren system, a new fire truck and improvements to the water and wastewater systems. The budget also contains a 60-day reserve.
For those interested in a complete budget breakdown, here is the PowerPoint presented to the council by Rodriguez followed by an audio clip of him speaking to the council. The audio may be a bit spotty because I recorded it on my phone from the back of the council chambers.