Council - Special Meeting

At least

the last Not the last couple.

I don't know if I can change that now that it's already started. I don't think it is. Is his eyes on? What's the power button for the owl? Well, I think it's already power switch on.

Let's see. We're online. Usually, you can change the video source. Oh

Nope. Uh, webcam. Yeah, there you go. But it won't choose a broadcast. It doesn't It's not recognizing that, I guess. Well, it's going to be a very short meeting. So, as long as it's on on Let's see here. Audience. probably once you go live. I can't change it. It is live. No, I'm saying you're live. So, since you already since we're already live, it's probably But why is it red? No, it's not letting me like cuz it's not.

We're going through the computer. Do you have yours turned on? I We're just gonna go with what we got for tonight.

Okay. Tonight's public hearing is for the property tax rate levy. If you'd like to speak during public input for the public hearing, please put your name here. Public hearing, April 6th, 6 p.m. come to order. Roll call.

You can go ahead and do roll call. Masky Ben here. Light here. Johnson here. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Do I have a motion to approve the special council meeting agenda one? I will make a motion to approve the agenda, the consent agenda for special council meeting. I second. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Yes. Vendle.

Yes. I have a motion to open the public hearing on the proposed property tax rate leotion to approve or a motion to open public hearing on the proposed property tax rate. Second,

yes. Light, yes. Johnson, yes. Yes.

City administrator Um, yes. So, tonight we have a public hearing for the property tax rate levy for the city of Urbana at 14.20409. At this time, we will open the public hearing for public input and city hall did not receive email or um phone regarding the property tax rate levy. I think it's Dwight.

Yes, Dwight. I think you're the first one on the list. Yep. No, that's okay. I was just telling about Dwight. Do you want to take the podium or can I just do it from here? I was in the car. I don't I think we can. Very good at all. So, absolutely. I mean, it's fine by me. The mayor can decide over Yeah, actually a number of questions about this town, but why are taxes going up again? Didn't weren't they just raised what, three, four years ago? Maybe five.

Oh, this levy rate is not higher. This is not a raised levy rate. It's actually like what is it, Jennifer? So, um, sorry. Do I have permission to speak? Just just to just to take note um I don't I'm not going to speak unless spoken to. So the mayor needs to allow me to speak. So Mayor Ireland may speak. Please please do.

Okay. So our current property um tax rate over the last I think the analysis that I did started with uh fiscal year of 2022 and the property uh the city tax rate was 14.13667. In FY2023 the city's property tax rate levy was 14.13441. FY2024, the city's tax rate levy was 14.32603. FY25, the city's property tax rate levy was 14.32604. This year, or excuse me, FY26 property tax rate levy was 14.27045 27045 and the current property tax rate levy proposed for the city for FY27 is 14.20409. To answer your question, this represents a change of less than 1.5% over the last 5 years for the city's property tax rate levy. What I'd like to also share during this public hearing because some people do have a question about whether or not your taxes have increased over the last year or the last five years. I would also like to point out that center school district is 47% of the tax rate for your property taxes. The city of Urbana is less than 28%. Benton County takes approximately 20%. And the others, Assessor's College takes about 5%. So if your property taxes have gone up over the last 5 years, it is not that the city's property tax rate levy has increased because it has stayed approximately the same within 1%.

Would anybody else like to add to that? Does that answer your question, sir? Well, I was just wondering if it had anything to do with this our governor's bill. If it I'm sorry if it has anything to do with what Kim R's bill. Well, yeah, you're going to have to be much more specific. She want more property taxes that people have to pay. So, is this going up? So you have a little bit of adjustment in 2007 if this is passed. This bill is laying on her desk. So you know it's going to be well actually is this to help offset.

So the property tax rate levy is not increasing for the city. It's actually decreasing for the city um by what did I just say. 07% about seven cents

by about seven cents. Um, we actually for our property tax rate as well as our budget, I can only speak for what I represent of the council and that is that there is a lot of legislation that happens during these sessions and uh we do not always plan the budget exactly to those because it may or may not pass. So, we are creating a budget that is within the city's means for operations, maintenance, and to run the city.

Well, I'm just thinking about all these people, me included, about all these fixed incomes. I have the opportunity that I have a well. So, I don't have this high water bill that a lot of your senior citizens are concerned about. They have a set amount that they can live on. I know some people around here that build here everything says everything keeps going up and up and up. They're just going to sell their places and move, you know, and in a way you can't blame them, but they can't exist here. And some of these people just came here maybe six, seven years ago and they're all ready to leave. And there's been a lot of houses, a lot of property in the last six, seven years. People come and they didn't stay. I mean,

I'm not I'm not sure if you're directing that, but

I think I think that's I don't understand overall the cost of living here. It's like, you know, some people are getting priced out of the market, but they can't afford to live here. I'm not. But you know when people come to me and say things I tell them I said you have the right to be concerned about it. I mean here you worked out your whole life. You buy property here thinking you're going to retire here. If you're here about a year or two and things just keep going up and up and yeah you're worried about surviving existing. There's been like a lot of things around here that don't make sense. You know, people start digging one one thing and they just keep digging and digging and digging and digging. So, yeah, naturally, they're going to feel like they're getting screwed over. That's just common nature.

I would highly encourage um you when that happens to share that our meetings are public and we would love to have them come. I think that um it should be every resident's responsibility to to get informed and these meetings are veryformational to keep up with what with with what's going on. Some of these people can barely get around. Yep. And we have it online. I know that not everybody might not have internet, but there's multiple facets when it comes to computers. Sure. I'll be the first to admit it. Y sir, if if I may address your concerns.

Sure. Um the the people who move here are welcome and part of what we have here is the actual funds that this city is spending is less than the state's average. If you take all the cities and compare them, the city of Urbana spends less than the average that everybody else is spending. So, there's plenty other places they can go and the their city is spending more per person than we are. and we are reducing the amount of taxes that we are collecting. Uh I'm not sure uh whether that satisfies uh your need to uh complain about what the city is spending. But the city is reducing the amount that they're collecting in taxes.

Well, they should be doing something many and it's already less than the state average. So there is how many grants has this city received in the last four years which is taxpayer money. Everybody says oh it's not going to cost us anything. There's nothing free in life. Mr. Mayor I stay on the task with the budget at hand. Yes.

If he's got additional questions he can certainly contact us about that. I don't want to get into this tonight. I would rather not. That's fine. I'm sure somebody bring it up. Uh Brian Dale. Yes, that's me. You have the floor. Thank you. The question I had with regards to this is this only for the town center drive area that is over here the so-called for the proposed that is for that's for the city of it's for the entire city that is the

other words it's not just this addition over here that's getting okay now my question would border on the fact that you proposed a budget. Your budget's going to go forward according the way you have it laid out right now. You still don't know where the state's going to fall. if there's any additional things that get passed by the legislature going forward, but we've had a almost 13% inflation during Biden and then we had another follow up of that of another almost 7% on top of that. So 11% there's 18. worked up property valuewise according to the assessor roughly about 26 27% pretty close to 30. So our evaluation goes up. You're not rolling up on what you're proposing as far as millage rate. Well, there's no there there's no uh new valuation this year. That's next year. Okay. Next year. But what I'm getting at is as Benton County assessor comes out, my evaluation went up probably close to 23% on my property. Okay. Now, maybe I need to go address that with the assessor's office and ask them to make a modification in it. If that's

the case, then I'm suggesting that maybe everybody else needs to do exactly the same thing. And that assessor's going to be 90 time. But you say that it's actually going down. Correct. From the way I read this, or at least the property tax notification I got, I'm going up almost 18% from 4600 to almost six grand. So, I mean, that's that's pretty damn expensive. That's all there is to it. So,

I'm I'm sorry, sir. Yeah, I I can't I can't address what the state or the the county does. We we can only we can only work with what we have and what we're assessing as a rate is going down. Since my time's up actually here with regards to this three minute limitation situation,

thank you sir. All I would like to do is is have the communication with the individual property owners. If you're going to propose whatever you're doing, communicate it clearly to us so we know what's going on. And if that means some sort of an electronic notification, I can make sure I get my email address to the city clerk or whatever. so that we can understand what's going on and not be in this cloud of not understanding where it is you're coming from because you're telling us our property taxes are going down and what I'm getting is a notification from that county that it's going up,

sir. So, so tonight, yeah,

the property tax rate levy for this city is going down. The only thing that we control for the county that you receive for your property tax, the only portion of that that the city controls is the city's property tax which is going down. That's why I also shared how this is broken down. The school district, the city of Urbana, Benton County, and other also take a portion of your property tax. So for example, the school takes approximately 47%. The city takes approximately 28%. So it is not the city's portion that is causing the property tax to increase

only the city portion. So, I just want to make sure that's clear that if we're just discussing the city's property tax rate levy, that's the only thing that we control here. Sir, if you wish, I will explain it to you after the meeting. Anybody else? Go ahead. We only have two people on the list. On this behalf, you're saying where this money goes. How much of this goes like to our fire department? Isn't that where a lot of

the line budget item for? So again, the line item budget is not on tonight's agenda. So if you would like to talk about that the public hearing. So that's not that's not this that's not listed in in any of that stuff that you were saying. Okay. The center point for better school gets this. No. Okay. So, so tonight when we get through this public hearing, we will also set a date, the council will set a date for the full budget adoption, which we hope happens on April 20th. So, the detail of the full budget will be available after tonight's meeting where you will be able to access that money.

Sure. You can see line by line where the money and you can do that here. Yes. law enforcement. You can do that here at city hall. There will be a book available that will have the printed budget which is the line items. It will also be posted online on the city's website which property tax rate levy information was also I would encourage everyone to actually go to the city's website where all of this information was explained. Um and then you would be able to see that after tonight. So, we don't p we will not publish anything tonight regarding the budget until after the property rate is set. Okay. So, I can come down and look at this book, right?

Yeah. I would suggest not doing that first thing in the morning because I still have to get on the state's website, put in the information from tonight's meeting, but I would say, but this will be available. Absolutely. It's always available. It's always available. So right now, if you wanted to come in tomorrow and you wanted to see the detailed line item budget that's currently happening for fiscal year 2026, I would show you a book that is a line item budget for fire department, police, library. It's all in there and it's available for public review. Can the person check this out so they could go and make copies of it? Um, it's available online. You don't have to make the person.

That's fine. Then you can get a copy of it tomorrow. It's 16 pages approximately 16. So you're printing these pages off. Yeah. I mean it's it's on the public it's on the state website. We can print it here for you. That's not the issue. It's this is a public piece of information. It's on the Department of Management's website. It's published all year long from the time that the council approves the budget. nothing as a secret to any of the residents and if anybody comes in and if you were to ask this information before tonight's meeting I would have happily shared any of it with you also. Yeah, that's good to know. Yeah.

Are there any other Do I have a motion to close the public hearing? I'll make a motion to close the public hearing. I'll second that. Mask. Yes. Bend. Yes. Light. Yes. Johnson. Yes.

Other hearings closed. New business. I have a motion to approve the proposed property tax rate levy for the city's fiscal year budget. I'll motion to approve the resolution 2026-200 approving the proposed property tax rate levy for fiscal year 27. I'll second

yes. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Yes. Have a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion to adjourn the meeting. I'll second. All those in favor? I

I meeting is adjourned. Open meeting number two. Open meeting number two. Roll call. Basky here.

Hubert. Ben here. Johnson here. Light here. I have a motion to approve the consent agenda. Motion. Go ahead. A motion to approve the consent agenda for meeting at number two. I'll second. Baski. Yes. Vendle. Yes. Light. Yes. Johnson.

Yes. New business. Consider resolution setting the date for public hearing for budget adoption for April 20th, 2026 at 6 PM. City Hall, council chambers. 6:30 6:30 6:30. Sorry. I'll make a motion to approve resolution 2026 2087 and I'll second. All those in favor, excuse me. Light, yes. Johnson,

yes. Basky, yes. Ben, yes. The resolution has been approved. Do I have a motion to adjurnn the meeting? I'll make a motion to adjourn the second meeting. And I'll second. All those in favor to the meeting? I I need