Friday, August 29, 2003

Union City's millage rate for year 2003 remains the same

By ALISA KING
Special to The Citizen

There will be no increase in the tax millage rate this year in Union City. According to Union City City Councilmen last Tuesday night, the city of Union City had an increased growth of $18.67 million which represents 40 percent of the assessed value on the total increase in the tax digest.

City Administrator Alan Grindstaff says that the increase is due to growth in new construction and reassessments by the county of property in the city.

"It has been determined that due to the cost of providing services to our citizens that the city's millage rate for the year 2003 will remain at 7.5 mills", he adds.

The law requires that when a city or county has an increase in their tax digest that taxpayers of the city or county must be notified through public hearing of increase if there is not a rollback in assessed taxes. When assessing the available revenue needed to provide services to its citizenry, the governing body must consider whether or not it is feasible to rollback the millage rate equal to the amount that the City's tax digest has grown or increased.

Of the 7.5 mills, 4.5 mills go toward the operations of the general fund and 3 mills are designated to retire the City's 1997 general obligation bond that was approved by the citizens of Union City in a bond referendum in 1997 for capital improvement throughout the city.