Clarksville City Council To Consider Property Tax Increase For Upcoming Year
Image: Aerial View of Clarksville, Tennessee Image Credit: Pi.1415926535 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Another local government in Tennessee is looking to increase city funding by raising property taxes for residents.
According to an email sent to Clarksville City Council members by Chief Financial Officer Laurie Matta, the city is planning to request a property tax increase of 17.5% above the state’s Certified Tax Rate for the city. This would be an increase of 14 cents.
The Certified Tax Rate for Clarksville was officially released on Monday, after a state-mandated reevaluation of property in Montgomery County. The new rate for the upcoming fiscal year is $0.7488 for Clarksville and $1.8320 for Montgomery County, giving a combined rate of $2.5808.
The proposed 14-cent increase would net the city approximately $625,000, according to Matta. That money would go into the city’s General Fund.
A tax rate that exceeds the Certified rate is considered a tax increase and must be presented in a public meeting held by the local governing body. After that hearing, the body may choose to adopt a higher rate.
The Clarksville City Council will hold their first meeting to discuss the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including the proposed tax increase, on Thursday, June 20 at 4:30. A final vote has already been scheduled for Tuesday, June 25 at 4:30.
City Council member Wallace Reed told Main Street Media that he was not in favor of the increase.
“I will not be voting for this tax increase,” Reed said. “I didn’t vote for the spending. I will not vote for the increase.”
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts says the increase is necessary to allow the city to combat inflation and offer jobs with competitive pay.
He also noted that there is also a focus on “public safety, including codes enforcement and abatement.”
In addition to the property tax increase, the mayor has also proposed an increase in commercial building permit fees.
Mayor Pitts is the PITTS! he needs to stop building all the communist block housing on every inch of farmland, woods, and space in town. Those of us who work and live here can’t afford to be stuck in endless traffic from these , never mind we don’t want to have all those folks crunched in around our homes. We have 70 year old homes to maintain and they estimate them 100k more than we bought them for, its insane what they want to tax us.