MASON CITY – Mason City property tax owners will be on the hook for a large tax increase, and those who take city water and sanitation will be facing rate increases in a budget more or less finalized by the Mason City council and Mayor Eric Bookmeyer.
A public meeting was held February 6th at city hall to finalize the city’s 2014-2015 budget. A proposed property tax rate increase was set at $13.85, or about a 10% rate increase. Outside of the council and mayor, the only other people who attended the meeting were representatives from agencies who wanted funding: The North Iowa Corridor, the North Iowa Events Center, and Main Street Mason City.
The water rate will increase 81 cents. That is half of what was on the table a couple months ago, when the council considered a hike of $1.62. Current average water bill in Mason City is $24.25. City Finance Director Kevin Jacobson said that the council “changed how we would pay back debt” in order to cut the rate hike in half.
The sanitation rate will increase 45 cents. Current average sanitation bill is $9.60 per month. The new rate, if approved by the city council, would be $10.05, for a a 4.69% increase.
Even though city council member Alex Kuhn called the budget “tight” this year, it was the consensus of the Council to fund outside organizations as follows: Main Street $25,000; Senior Center $15,000; North Iowa Corridor $126,000 (an increase from $105,000); Youth Baseball $10,000; PGI $10,000; RAGBRAI $40,000; and the North Iowa Events Center $10,000.
A public hearing on the proposed new budget will be held at the city council meeting on March 4th.
