It was essentially a formality Thursday night as the Fayetteville City Council voted unanimously to hold the 2009 millage rate at 2.988 mills.

The rate represents a net decrease in projected taxes of a little less than 1 percent, or $21,855, reflecting the impact of the recession.

As with the millage presentation at previous council meetings, Finance Director Lynn Robinson said that net taxes levied for 2008 totaled $2,791,010 compared to the $2,769,154 for 2009. City financial staff recommended holding the current rate, noting that it will meet the requirement of the projected FY 2010 budget.

Also at the meeting, the council voted unanimously to allocate a portion of previously secured state funds, along with a total of $6,000 from local business property owners, to put up $30,000 for a Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) supplemental grant for which the state will match dollar for dollar.

The grant will be used to hire professional land development and marketing consultants as necessary to devise a strategy and development plan to address three identified grayfield areas.

Those include the 692 Shopping Center on North Glynn Street, the Fayette Place Shopping Center at the 300 block of North Glynn and an under-utilized area of the Market Place at Lafayette that is a part of the Villages at Lafayette master plan. (See related story about tax allocation districts.)

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