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The Current Printed o0 <br />n <br />recycled paper <br />she City of Elk River Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 5 — October 1995 <br />Council holds the line on taxes <br />On September 5 the City Council approved the maximum <br />1996 City Tax Levy and General Fund Budget. The levy as <br />approved will not increase the city' s tax rate. This means that <br />if you live in the urban district and your property value, as <br />determined by the county assessor, did not increase, your <br />1996 city property tax will be the same as it was in 1995. Keep <br />in mind that if your property value increased for taxes <br />payable in 1996, your tax will increase due to the increase in <br />value. Also, ifyou live in the rural district, you will experience <br />a slight increase in your tax rate because the urban and rural <br />districts will be combined for taxes payable 1996. <br />The city, Sherburne County, School District 728, and the <br />city's Economic Development and Housing and Redevelop- <br />ment authorities all receive a portion of your property tax. As <br />the chart below indicates, in 1995 the city will receive ap- <br />proximately 22.23 percent and the city's EDA and BRA will <br />receive another 1.29 percent of the property taxes paid by city <br />property owners. <br />• 1995 PROPERTY TAX ALLOCATION <br />City <br />22% <br />School District <br />56% County <br />EDA/HRA 21% <br />1% <br />Most of the city's tax revenue is used to pay for general <br />fund activities. The balance is used to fund the Library <br />building and maintenance, to pay for bonds issued to finance <br />the purchase of capital equipment for public safety and public <br />works departments, to fund storm water improvements and <br />other public improvements. <br />General fund activities include general government (elec- <br />tions, administration, finance, mayor & council, planning, <br />legal, etc.), public safety (police, fire, police reserves, emer- <br />gency preparedness, building inspections and code enforce- <br />ment), public works (streets, snow removal, engineering, <br />fld eet lighting, program and equipment repair) and culture <br />recreation (parks, recreation, shade tree program and <br />senior citizen programs). As you can see from the chartbelow, <br />public safety accounts for the majority of the general fund <br />expenditures. <br />1996 PROPOSED GENERAL FUND <br />EXPENDITURES <br />Public Works General <br />15% Government <br />27% <br />Culture & <br />Public Safety Recreation <br />49% 9% <br />Although the city continually tries to find innovative <br />ways to increase revenues with out increasing taxes, property <br />tax revenue is still the major source of general fund revenue. <br />Intergovernmental Revenues (state and federal aids) have <br />continued to decrease and now account for less than a quarter <br />of the general fund revenues. <br />1996 PROJECTED GENERAL FUND <br />REVENUES <br />Intergovt. Fines & Forfeits <br />Revenues 2% <br />23% <br />Transfers <br />5% Property Taxes <br />51% <br />Licenses & in;D <br />Permits Charges for Other <br />6% Services Revenues <br />10% 3% <br />Public hearings on the proposed 1996 Tax Levy and <br />General Fund Budget will be held in December. The first <br />hearing is scheduled for December 11, 1995, at 7 p.m., at City <br />Hall. The public is invited to attend. This is your opportunity <br />to share your comments on the tax levy and budget with the <br />Mayor and City Council. Following input from the public, the <br />final 1996 Tax Levy and General Fund Budget will be adopted <br />at a subsequent meeting. <br />