Tax rate unchanged;
in-town residential
electric rates lowered

Washington’s budget for fiscal year 2011-2012, which takes effect July 1, keeps the property tax rate at 50 cents per $100 valuation.

That budget, adopted Monday night by the City Council, calls for a 5-percent decrease in in-town residential electric rates. The budget keeps water, stormwater, wastewater and trash collection fees at existing levels.

The council voted 3-2 to adopt the $62.2 million budget. Council members William Pitt, Gil Davis and Ed Moultrie voted for it. Mayor Pro Tempore Bobby Roberson and Councilman Doug Mercer voted against it.

“During the ensuing (budget) discussions over a period of several weeks, I had presented to this council a list of what I thought were reasonable reductions in the budget that were in excess of $600,000,” Mercer said before the budget vote was taken. “Out of that list, $80,000 of those reductions — $80,000 to $90,000 — were adopted.  Over $400,000 were not.”

Mercer noted that he suggested adding $115,000 to the budget to speed up the installation of utility meters that are read electronically instead of manually. Mercer said speeding up that process would benefit the city. That additional $115,000 added to the $85,000 already in the budget for such meters brings the total appropriation for AMR meters to $200,000.

Mercer continued to explain why he would vote against the budget.

“We had an opportunity, sitting at this table, to substantially reduce this budget. If we had just taken $250,000 of that $600,000 that I put on the table, and others of you put other items on the table, we could have reduced the ad valorem tax by two cents per $100 (valuation), and I think we have wronged the citizens of Washington by not attacking this budget in a very comprehensive manner, reducing it where it needs to be reduced and giving that money back to the citizens. I am not going to vote for this budget.”

Mayor Archie Jennings responded to Mercer’s comments.

“I’m very proud of this budget.  … It’s got tax breaks for our citizens in it, not on the ad-valorem side, but in other categories,” Jennings said. “It also rewards our employees for the first time in a long time. There are still items that I consider on the table, in your list, councilman, that could be taken up and dealt with at a later time. … There’s no perfect budget. Everybody’s got a lot to say grace over. … I’m proud of the work this council did. I’m proud of the work staff did.”

Revenue generated by 1.5 cents of the tax rate will go into the public-safety reserve fund, which accumulates money for public-safety facilities and major equipment purchases by public-safety agencies.

With the property-tax rate remaining at 50 cents per $100 valuation, that means the city’s tax on a $100,000 house remains at $500 a year.
For additional coverage of the council’s meeting, including information regarding the proposed new police station, see future editions of the Washington Daily News