Smyrna’s new budget won’t raise property taxes, but residents and business owners will see increased fees.
The city’s spending comes in just below $19 million for the upcoming fiscal year. City budget writers didn’t recommend a property tax hike, but fees for electricity, water, sewer, and trash collection will rise. Those fee hikes include a 12% increase in sewer fees, a 10% increase in water rates, and a 30% surge in garbage fees.
City manager Torrie James notes that most of those increases are beyond the city’s control.
“It's just like the sewer increase, he said. "The county called us and said, ‘your sewer is going up,’ and that's the cost of doing business. And it's either we pay it and the consumer absorbs it, or we pay it and we're going to have to raise taxes.”
Finance Director Kathleen Acevedo says the average resident would see about a 4% increase in their utility bill, including electricity, water, sewer, and trash pickup.
Another big uptick in spending comes from staffing costs, Acevedo said.
“We had increased costs and payroll. Those are due to the various unions, as well as another 12% increase in health insurance," she said.
Still, Jim Walls, chair of the city’s Finance Committee, says Smyrna is in better financial shape than it has been for years.
“I can tell you from taking a look at the details of how the finances are being managed currently and over the past year, I think it's exceptional financial goals that they've established and the performance that they're doing will really improve the overall financial future of this town," Walls said.
City Council voted 6-1 to approve the new budget, with Councilman Ken Olson voting against.
