Nevada city council raises property tax levy

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada Daily Mail

For the first time since the Nevada City Council began voluntarily reducing the property tax levy in 2002, the council voted Tuesday night to raise the levy to the maximum rate permitted by the state.

This increase in the levy will put about $100,000 in the city's depleted coffers which are currently estimated to have about $10,000 to carry over in January 2007.

This will increase the levy from the current rate of $.5350 per $100 assessed valuation, which is lower than the 2000 ceiling, to $.6548 per $100 assessed valuation for the city's property taxes.

The library tax will be $.1988 per $100 assessed valuation.

"It seems that Nevada has had a lot of black eyes lately and now you are going to raise taxes," Bill Erwin told the council.

We have fewer jobs and now people are going to have to pay more, he told the council.

"We're trying to tighten our belts as much as possible," councilman Russ Kemm said.

In July the city council approved a reorganization of the city government that eliminated about 30 jobs and cut the cost of operating the city government by about $260,000 this year and $780,000 in 2007.

"Obviously, if you have to do it you have to do it," Erwin said.

"We have to put some money back in our coffers," Dick Meyers said.

This tax rate is set annually and it can be lowered again next year, he said.

"We are asking citizens to help us get some money back in our reserve fund," Meyers said.

"In the big picture, $103,000 is not a lot of money, but it is better than the $10,000 the city will end the year with," Kemm said.

"We have a lot of people on Social Security that this will hurt," Erwin reminded the council.

"There is no easy answer," Meyers said.

In other business the council:

* Voted to table an ordinance changing the zoning at 218 and 222 South Pine from R-3, apartment, to C-3, commercial. Ron Clow told the city council that he had a telephone call from the developer wanting to locate a Walgreen's in Nevada Tuesday afternoon, telling him that they could not reach an agreement with the owner of the Golden Corral property to purchase it. Clow said that the property owner now wants to lease the property and not sell it. Clow said that the developer is still interested in locating a Walgreen's here and will look at two other sites in town.

* Tabled consideration of a development agreement with the Pinnacle Group for the Walgreen's store.

* Postponed consideration of a revised 2006 city budget until the Sept. 5 meeting.

* Postponed until the Sept. 5 meeting consideration of a special ordinance approving the payment of Burns & McDonnell for work already done on the runway renovation project.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with Vernon County to process the city's property taxes.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with Vernon County and the Vernon County Assessor to perform real and personal property assessments for the city of Nevada.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with the Center Township Collector for collection of city property taxes.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with the Washington Township Collector for collection of city property taxes.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with Vernon County and the Vernon County Treasurer to collect delinquent city property taxes.

* Postponed consideration of an ordinance to repeal the section of the city code prohibiting city employee political activity until the city attorney reviews it.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with Vernon County for the county to use the city's mapping equipment. The equipment is to be used by a former city employee, and will remain at the city's public works facility.

* Passed on second reading a general ordinance reenacting the city's conflict of interest disclosure policy.

* Passed on second reading a special ordinance authorizing the city to advertise for bids for construction of the new airport terminal.

* Postponed until the Sept. 5 council second reading of a special ordinance accepting the bids for the runway improvement project at the municipal airport. Bill McCaffree told the council that the Missouri Department of Transportation had some concerns about financing of the project, however, he told the council that Dave Hadel, Burns & McDonnell, said that he felt the concerns could be resolved within the next week or so and that MoDOT would notify the city.

* Adopted Resolution No. 1164 recognizing the Southwest Missouri Tourism Alliance.

* Adopted Resolution No. 1165 certifying the passage of the 1/2-cent transportation sales tax during the Aug. 8 municipal general election.