There are only two meetings scheduled so far for this week, but you can check back on the City's calendar to see if any others are added. http://www.waxahachie.com/calendar.php The City Council Special Meeting is the MOST IMPORTANT meeting of the year, in my opinion. It is your chance to speak directly to the City Council regarding the proposed tax rate for FY 21 and the proposed budget for FY 21.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2020
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6:00 PM - City Council SPECIAL MEETING
Council Chamber, City Hall
Agenda Packet: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/75185/9-1-20_City_Council_Special_Agenda_Packet.pdf
This is a very short agenda packet and I encourage everyone to read through it. It holds a lot of important information regarding your taxes.
- The current tax rate is and has been for years $0.68 per $100 of valuation.
- The proposed tax rate is $0.66 per $100 of valuation. Which is a decrease in the RATE, but still will increase the amount of taxes you pay to the City if your property valuation increased.
- The tax rate that would've given us the same revenue as last year and therefore not increase your City taxes is $0.6304 per $100 of valuation. (Called the NNR or No New Revenue rate.)
- The tax rate that would require an election and approval from the residents of Waxahachie is $0.6629 per $100 of valuation. You can see that the decreased rate also brings us just below this number so there does not have to be an election.
We were promised at LEAST a 2 cent reduction in the tax rate, back when the revenue cap was being calculated at 8%. That was when the two cents came off the debt service; but, when the revenue cap was reduced to the 3.5% (as per SB 2), staff raised the debt service back up to nearly $0.17, losing that original two cent reduction and replacing it with a 2 cent reduction on the M&O side. Therefore, I believe that our City can and should do no higher than a $0.64 tax rate, although adopting the No New Revenue rate of $0.6304 would be even better. That's just where I stand on the issue; however, this meeting is not about what I think. This meeting is about what you think and want and having the opportunity to voice it to Council.
Whether you are for/against/indifferent about the tax rate and proposed budget, this is your chance to tell your City Council exactly how you feel about it. We will then be rendering a decision one week from this meeting.
The meeting should be live-streamed and available via this link: http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php
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2:30 PM - Civil Service Commission Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall
Agenda Packet: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/75133/9-3-20_Civil_Service_Agenda_Packet.pdf
One item of interest is under #6. Consider ordering an election to submit to all sworn police officers in the department a revised promotional system.
This meeting will not be live-streamed, but it is open to the public and as such residents are welcome to attend.
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I hope that everyone has a great weekend and hope to see you Tuesday night!
Your Friendly Councilmember,
Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com
www.olsonfortexas.com
