Tax to the max
That's probably the way they'll go.
The budget proposed to City Council by City Manager T.C. Broadnax would increase property tax revenue by 3.5% (here's an explainer on how the tax limit works), the maximum allowed by state law.
My assumption is that Council will end up adopting a budget at the maximum tax limit, just as it has every year since the state imposed the 3.5% cap in 2019. Even at this level, the city is cutting $16.8 million from existing social service contracts.
However, it seems like Mayor Kirk Watson really wants to find a way of approving a budget below the maximum tax level. At his request, city financial staff has provided a budget scenario for a 2% increase in revenue.
