Marion proposes ‘status quo’ budget

MARION - Aside from a small increase in the city's property tax levy, Marion officials expect next year's budget to hold the line on tax and fee hikes.

The city's property tax levy is proposed to increase to $13.82 per $1,000 of value, compared with $13.58 in the current fiscal year, to pay for additional firefighters, library personnel and a new equipment operator in the parks department.

To expand fire protection to Marion's growing north side, a third fire station will open in 2018, with plans to hire three firefighters every budget year until its fully staffed with nine.

Additionally, the library will add two permanent, part-time staffers, and the Parks & Recreation department will add an equipment operator, all having an impact on the city's property tax levy rate.

Under the proposal, owners of a home valued at $100,000 would see an $11 increase in their property tax bill, taking into account the state's property tax rollback formula. That formula will require homeowners to pay only 55.63 percent of their bill in fiscal 2017, compared with 55.73 percent in fiscal 2016.

Commercial property owners will pay 90 percent of their bills under that state law in fiscal 2017, compared with 95 percent in fiscal 2016.

The budget also proposes a 50-cent increase to the solid waste fee for those paying the reduced rate, which would bring the fee to $9.50 a month. The regular $14 rate would remain unchanged.

Otherwise, the budget doesn't call for other fee increases, City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said.

'It's pretty much a status-quo budget,” Pluckhahn said. 'We really went into it trying to hold the line on all the utilities because ... a lot of them had increases last year, and we're trying to make sure we didn't do that multiple years in a row.”

The proposed budget calls for $21.6 million in expenditures from one of the city's primary funds, the general fund, which covers basic community services such as police and fire protection and is funded by property taxes. That's up from $17.86 million in fiscal 2016.

The city also expects to see an additional $800,000 from the state in road use tax funding, attributable to an increase in the city's population and an increase of the tax rate. That money will be directed to road repairs and work on a new, self-sustaining, public services facility.

The budget proposal, drafted by Pluckhahn with input from department heads, needs approval from the City Council before taking effect July 1.

A public hearing is set for March 3. City budgets are due to the state March 15.