City tentatively increases tax rate

City council members voted 4-1 to tentatively set the tax levy at 7.0 following a decision earlier Wednesday night to eliminate funding the fire department partially through fire fees.

Council member Joe Bernardini voted against the measure.

The rate is a .931 increase from 6.069 rate set last year. That means a homeowner with a $150,000 home would pay $700 to the city compared to the $606 he or she paid last year if they had a $50,000 home exemption.

Council members worked until after 10 p.m. crunching budget numbers before settling on the tax rate. They agreed that the numbers were preliminary and Mayor Lara Bradburn said the council is open to budget suggestions.

The next public hearing about the budget is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22.