STARKVILLE — The board of aldermen is considering a 1-mill property tax increase for Fiscal Year 2023. It voted at Tuesday’s meeting to advertise for a public hearing on the budget that would include the increase.
The proposed increase would primarily help fund $1.1 million in salary increases across general fund departments, of which the police and fire departments are the largest. Any tax increase would be approved for the budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
“This year, the impetus for this really came from the vacancies that we’re seeing in the police department and the fire department, and the difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees — particularly in those departments but across the board in all departments,” Ward 2 Alderwoman and Budget Chairwoman Sandra Sistrunk said.
Sistrunk explained that while the city has seen increased revenue and expects to continue to see increased revenue, it isn’t enough to cover expenses and avoid a tax increase.
“The bulk of our money will almost always come from sales tax and property tax,” Sistrunk said. “We’re fortunate that we have some increases there. But we do not have enough to cover the handful of expenses that departments ask for and the $1.1 million in salary increases,” Sistrunk said. “And some adjustments that are necessary to recognize the fact that … they (police and fire departments) use more and more overtime, partially because they’re understaffed and partially as a reflection of the workload that they have.”
The mill is valued at $305,000. If the increase is approved, the city’s millage would increase from 30.13 mills to 31.13 mills.
If a 1-mill increase is implemented, the spike in an individual’s tax bill would depend on the value of their property.
According to Mayor Lynn Spruill if they have a $100,000 property it will be about $30 per year.
Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp explained that while he is in favor of salary increases, he is not in favor of increasing taxes.
“The amount we’re talking about is just little over 2 percent of the budget, and I think we can find that somewhere else,” he said. “On principle, I’m against tax increases. …I think we can find another way to pay these guys.”
Spruill is in favor of the increase.
“We’re very fortunate that our revenue is up, but on the same token, we’re facing the same crises that everyone else is facing in terms of our employees,” she said. “Our police and our fire — we are down large numbers, just like other communities around. … We’re down 10 (police) officers. We need to pay them in a way that we can retain them and attract them. We also need to pay all of our employees and personnel a fair and competitive wage. That is what this is intended to do.”
A summary budget and more details on the proposed budget and increase will be presented at the July 29 work session.
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