The Carroll City Council is expected to spend the bulk of its time during Monday’s meeting reviewing Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget preparations and possible changes following the discovery of a state mistake. The council’s first item of business is to host the public hearing on the FY24 proposed maximum property tax levy. The rate published as required by Iowa Code is $10.48968 per $1,000 of taxable valuations, but that figure does not contain all available levies. In reality, the FY24 total rate will equal $11.89678 when the Debt Service Levy is included. The council will then need to discuss potential cuts to the budget due to the state’s rollback calculation error that changed the rollback to 56.49 percent from 54.65 percent. Interim City Manager Jeff Cayler explains.
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With as much as $125,000 not being collected in FY24 as anticipated, the mistake could force city officials to start over at square one for portions of the budget. Cayler says the council will also review another round of change orders for the Carroll Recreation Center project totaling $122,000.
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The proposed changes include the replacement of existing sanitary sewer piping, redesigning the elevator equipment room, removing an out-of-code electrical transformer, electrical rewiring for air handling units, and walking track joist extensions. Their attention then shifts to a tax abatement request for an apartment structure at 502 Court St., owned by Court Street Holdings, LLC.
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Cayler says if the council wants to approve the full abatement request, they will need to either establish a new urban revitalization area or adopt a 10-year abatement plan citywide. Other items on Monday’s agenda include grant application approval for improvements to Merchants Park, signage changes in downtown Carroll, and a design agreement for work on the retaining wall/fencing at the city softball fields. The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at Carroll City Hall and will be live-streamed via the city’s YouTube channel. The complete agenda and a link to watch remotely are included with this story on our website.
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