Afton lowers tax increase

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Afton residents will get a little reprieve come tax season next year.

During an Oct. 12 work session, Afton City Council agreed to lower its 2012 tax increase from 3 percent to .8 percent.

Council members had been considering a levy increase of $46,825, or 2.9 percent.

During last Wednesday’s work session, Mayor Pat Snyder said she wanted a zero percent increase.

In order to have a zero percent increase, City Council had to cut $46,825 from the budget. However, after working through the budget City Council was able to whittle the budget down so that the tax levy would be $1,560,836, an increase of $12,487. City Council was able to get the levy down to a .8 percent increase by removing $10,000 from both the comprehensive plan and codification funds and removing $6,000 from the signs fund. City Council also removed a portion from its special reserve fund. The .8 tax levy increase is so that some money will be put into the city’s streets bond fund.

“I would be comfortable leaving in a .8 percent increase and putting that into the bond,” Snyder said.

Afton’s Truth in Taxation hearing will be Dec. 20 during the regular City Council meeting.

“If that’s what you want the budget to be, we’ll make it happen,” City Administrator Sara Irvine said.

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