City Council - Special Meeting

Right. I'd like to call to order uh the special meeting for Mo City Council of March 23rd. Uh will you please take the role? Bzen here. Simonson here. Voss here. Westerard here. Here. We have a quorum. Item two is approving the agenda as presented and or as amended. Move approval. Second.

It's been moved and seconded. Please vote. Six. Yes. Uh motion carries. The next item is a hearing to receive oral or written testimony from any resident or property owner of De Moine on the proposed property tax levy for fiscal year 2027 council communication number 26-11. And I believe did you introduce have a

I think it'd be a good idea to bring Nick up if that's okay. Just make sure there's not any questions. This is the the first approval, if you will, on the tax rate.

Yeah. Uh, honorable mayor, council members, Nick Shaw, finance director here at the city. Um, this is a hearing to uh on the tax rate um of the city. So, from there, it it kind of creates that kind of uh ability to move on to the set hearing uh later today. um as well as holding the hearing on the actual budget in April. Um, so from here, this is allows uh the the conversation of the residents to the council to be able to uh take in uh feedback based off of what we've done through listening posts as well as the workshop with the proposed budget and getting that feedback on the tax rate that we had um had published uh within the transparency report that had all of the the um Poke County, the De Mo public schools as well was uh the city of De Moine. Uh our tax rate is actually uh staying the same at 1661. Um that is what we had uh accounted for within the budget and so that's kind of where we're sitting today. Uh I'm uh willing to answer any questions that you guys have.

Does the council have any questions? Just to be clear there there is because I know we had a couple formal things brought to us. I don't know if I need to receive and file into this the documents, but it says that we have a tax increase. They were misinformed. We do not have a tax increase. Correct. The tax rate stayed the same. The tax rate stayed the same. Um the increases is from the changes in the uh taxable value. So the the dollar amount that we received is an increase, but our levy rate is staying the same.

Correct. It stayed the same um since we decreased it uh 60 cents from uh in fiscal year 2020 and then we did another decrease of about uh 3 cents after that as well in 21 and we've stayed 1661 since then which is the lowest rate we've had Scott and you can and now 12 years historically. Okay. You will want to receive this. Yeah. I I can make a motion to Oh,

right. I think the one thing too we'll now open it up if no one else has any other comments or questions uh to the public. If anyone would wish to come up and speak, state your name and address or ward. Hi, my name is Carol Maher. I live in downtown De Mo in WI 3. Typically, as you know, I have prepared remarks that I've written out and edited and timed and practiced and things like that. And they weren't very nice. So, I figured that since it's um spring and I put away all my winter stuff, I should try to be nice. So, I just want to say that I I did everything I think you said informed residents should do. I came to two of the four meetings in December and January where we gamified sort of in a hunger game situation on which departments should be more important. I attended the 3/4 day long meeting here. I actually paid to print out all the documents and went through them several times page by page. I submitted more than 50 questions and feedback through the portal. Um, heck, I don't know if 1661 is the right number. I hope you do. Um, I've tried, right? I wish it was easier for people to know and understand and participate. As some again, as someone who did all the things, I I have no idea if 1661 is the answer. Um, I wish questions would be answered. I I know the website questions won't be answered, but it but they'll be answered when the city council asks questions and we'll put them together and then we'll answer

them. But questions weren't answered by today, which is when we can give feedback on whether 1661 was the right number. So, I don't know. Good luck. Thank you. Is anyone else wishing to speak? I see none, your honor. I'll move item three and also move to receive and file the two documents along with uh item three. Second.

It's been moved and seconded. Please vote. Linda. Oh, there we go. Seven. Yes. Motion carries. At this time, I'll entertain a motion to motion to adjurnn. Your honor, is there a second? Been moved and seconded. Um, we'll just take a vote. Post vote. I I Any opposed?