Four-cent tax increase part of Charles City’s $22.4 million proposed budget for FY2016-17

By Andre Jones | April 6, 2016 4:43 pm

With an emphasis on funding the county’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), Charles City supervisors received a recommendation of a four-cent real estate tax increase as part of a $22.4 million proposed budget for FY2016-17.

County finance director Michelle Johnson presented the $22,453,339 proposal at an Apr. 5 special meeting. That figure is $1,363,646 more than the current year’s $21,090,693 budget.

Along with county administrator Zach Trogdon, the duo commented that the increase would help fund CIP projects without dipping into the county’s general fund balance. The county’s real estate tax is proposed to increase from 72 cents to 76 cents per $100 of assessed value.

The county’s CIP is estimated at $3,497,078 for the upcoming cycle, an increase of more than $1.2 million. Among projects targeted with the increase are repairs to the Neighborhood Facility Building ($25,000), installation of new bathrooms and additional renovations at the Ruthville gymnasium ($20,000), renovations of the courthouse ($60,000), and money to help with construction of the new library and history center ($162,200). Approximately $1.76 million of the county’s proposed CIP is slated to address wastewater projects that have been an ongoing issue for the county.

County schools are recommended to be funded at $9,002,390 for FY2016-17, a slight increase of just over $4,000 from the current year. Of that amount $4,981,194 is provided from general fund appropriation, an increase of roughly $175,000. The local dollars were recommended to balance out a funding loss from state revenue that equaled the same amount. Schools had asked county leaders for $10.5 million in its recommended FY2016-17 budget.

Major CIP projects recommended for county schools next year include an additional contribution to the one-to-one initiative ($161,200), replacing one bus ($95,000), purchasing a seven-passenger van and new driver’s education vehicle ($40,000), replacing 18 water source heat pump units ($33,488) and replacing HVAC units inside the Charles City Elementary School’s cafeteria and kitchen ($29,840).

General funds in the county’s overall budget proposal pan out at $7,813,645 for the upcoming cycle. Other recommendations for funding departments include $1,566,739 for social services, $549,487 for the enterprise fund, $19,000 for special welfare, and a $5,000 transfer to the state.

Residents will have an opportunity to voice their opinion on the tax increase and budget proposal at an Apr. 19 public hearing at 6 p.m.