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Shenadoah to keep property tax rate steady
By JAKE MUONIO
Despite a slowdown in economic growth, Shenandoah residents will once again not have their property taxes raised.
The City Council voted Aug. 13 to keep the tax rate steady at 34.7 cents per $100 home of value. If the city had chosen to raise the tax rate to $0.3479 cents or higher public hearings would have been required in the city.
The total appraised value of taxable property in Shenandoah totals $451,430, 867 for 2008, up 6.44 percent or $27,325,749 from a year earlier.
The new taxable value includes more than $29 million in new construction in the city. Actual property in the city combined to decrease in value by $104,634 for the year. In addition to the value decreases, a property worth $1.65 million was purchased by a governmental agency and taken off the tax books, Shenandoah City Administrator Chip VanSteenberg said.
Most of the money Shenandoah collects from property taxes goes toward paying off bonds. In 2007, $39,866 of the $1,471,645 collected from property taxes — 2.7 percent — was used for the operation of the city. A similar percentage of the funds will be used again this year.
Nearly all of the money used for the operation of the city comes from sales tax revenue. Through July 31, the city had collected $3,410,690.70 in sales tax, $258,710.97 more than was collected through the end of July the previous year.
Among the money saving measure the Shenandoah City Council took at recent workshop meetings were:
*Opted not to fill vacant court clerk and assistant to the chief of police positions.
*Lowered the amount of money set aside to pay for the National Night Out event
*Reduced the amount of budgeted overtime in the sewer and water department by $11,000.
*Moved ahead with the purchase of four new angels for the Lighting of the angels Celebration to avoid an 8 percent price increase.
*Delayed all capital improvements to the community center at Shenandoah Park.
The City Council voted Aug. 13 to keep the tax rate steady at 34.7 cents per $100 home of value. If the city had chosen to raise the tax rate to $0.3479 cents or higher public hearings would have been required in the city.
The total appraised value of taxable property in Shenandoah totals $451,430, 867 for 2008, up 6.44 percent or $27,325,749 from a year earlier.
The new taxable value includes more than $29 million in new construction in the city. Actual property in the city combined to decrease in value by $104,634 for the year. In addition to the value decreases, a property worth $1.65 million was purchased by a governmental agency and taken off the tax books, Shenandoah City Administrator Chip VanSteenberg said.
Most of the money Shenandoah collects from property taxes goes toward paying off bonds. In 2007, $39,866 of the $1,471,645 collected from property taxes — 2.7 percent — was used for the operation of the city. A similar percentage of the funds will be used again this year.
Nearly all of the money used for the operation of the city comes from sales tax revenue. Through July 31, the city had collected $3,410,690.70 in sales tax, $258,710.97 more than was collected through the end of July the previous year.
Among the money saving measure the Shenandoah City Council took at recent workshop meetings were:
*Opted not to fill vacant court clerk and assistant to the chief of police positions.
*Lowered the amount of money set aside to pay for the National Night Out event
*Reduced the amount of budgeted overtime in the sewer and water department by $11,000.
*Moved ahead with the purchase of four new angels for the Lighting of the angels Celebration to avoid an 8 percent price increase.
*Delayed all capital improvements to the community center at Shenandoah Park.
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