FY 2026-27 Budget: 3-Cent Tax Increase and Service Expansions
Summary
Property taxes are going up 2 cents, after a proposal to limit the increase to 1.5 cents failed. Several councilmembers said residents are struggling with inflation and pleaded for deeper cuts; others said the higher rate funds needed services and staff.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Jun 25, 2026.
Impact analysis
Roughly a half-cent more per $100 valuation than the workshop plan — a few dollars more per year for the typical homeowner than the failed alternative.
City services and the four restored utility positions are preserved; every property owner pays more.
Property owners, especially those on fixed incomes, face a larger tax bill than the lower-rate alternative would have imposed.
Mentions & discussions (2)
General - Jun 25, 2026
Property taxes are going up 2 cents, after a proposal to limit the increase to 1.5 cents failed. Several councilmembers said residents are struggling with inflation and pleaded for deeper cuts; others said the higher rate funds needed services and staff.
City Council - Jun 16, 2026
The proposed budget would raise the property tax rate by 3 cents (about $75 more per year on a $250,000 home), add firefighters, a fire inspector, and finance/HR/facilities staff, and fund roughly four times the usual street resurfacing. Council split over whether the timing is right given inflation and fixed incomes, and tabled the budget until June 23 for options at lower tax increases.
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