Published: August 16, 2008 08:45 pm      

Tax rate on city agenda

Overlay plan, more Third Avenue costs to be considered

The Corsicana City Council is expected to approve a tax rate of just under 63 cents for every $100 in value. Nearly two weeks ago, the city approved a higher water rate, 15 percent above the current rate.

The 63-cent city property tax is four cents higher than the effective rate, as determined by the county tax assessor/collector. An effective tax rate is how much a city would tax in order to collect the same amount as the previous year.

Each year, local governments are allowed to raise tax rates enough to collect 8 percent more than the previous year. Any more than that, and the taxpayers automatically get a say in the matter through a rollback election. The 63-cent rate is four cents lower than the rollback rate.

Corsicana has a budget workshop scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, and the proposed rate goes for a city council vote at the regular council meeting, at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Government Center, 200 N. 12th St.

In a preliminary budget session two weeks ago, the city manager outlined a financial plan that included a 3 percent pay increase for employees, a 15 percent water rate increase, and no capital purchases.

Also on the agenda is the downtown overlay, an ordinance that would create a special district within downtown and pass different rules for that district. It would limit what property owners can do with downtown buildings, to preserve the historic look of downtown, but it would also allow some things not allowed in other parts of the city, such as sidewalk dining for restaurants.

The council will also be asked to amend the current budget to allow an additional $87,076 in funding for the Third Avenue Brick Street Project. The work to pull up the bricks, clean them, lay down a new subsurface and pavement underneath and then relay the bricks by hand was partly funded by a $150,000 state grant. The change is due to a faulty study by ETTL Engineers. The company apparently didn’t realize there was already pavement underneath the bricks that would have to be broken up and removed. The change will boost the cost of the project to nearly $480,000.

In addition, the council will vote on the contract with Reliant Energy, and consider spending $127,550 to tear down the old Corsicana Nursing Home at 1500 N. 45th St. The city owns the building, which was donated to the city by the Dream Center. It requires asbestos abatement as part of the demolition.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com