Aug. 11—Palestine City Council met for a brief regular session on Monday, Aug. 8 to discuss and take action on the property tax rate for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
City Finance Director Andrew Sibai presented the council with a comparison between the previous year's rate and a proposed rate, as well as the no-new-revenue rate.
After a brief discussion the council voted to accept the higher no-new-tevenue rate of $0.0695999.
According to the State Comptroller's office, the no-new-revenue tax rate "enables the public to evaluate the relationship between taxes for the prior year and for the current year, based on a tax rate that would produce the same amount of taxes if applied to the same properties taxed in both years."
The council clarified that the tax rate could be changed prior to the Sept. 26 vote to officially adopt the rate. The council proposed to hold public hearings regarding the tax rate during the regular scheduled council meeting being held on Monday, Sept. 12 and Monday, Sept. 26.
In other business the council voted to appoint Greg Lindsey to Place 1 of the Planning and Zoning Commission with a term to expire Sept. 30, 2023.
Consent agenda items approved by the council included:
—minutes for July 18, July 19, and July 25,
—expenditures over $25,000,
—authorization for the city manager to seek sealed bids for asphalt resurfacing on Callier St from Larry St to Saltworks Rd,
—authorization for the city manager to seek sealed bids for asphalt resurfacing on Royall St from Angelina St south to railroad tracks,
—authorization for the city manager to seek sealed bids for water line replacement on Royall St from Angelina St south to railroad tracks,
—authorization for the city manager to seek sealed bids for asphalt resurfacing on Ravenwood Dr,
—authorization for the city manager to seek sealed bids for water line replacement on Ravenwood Dr,
—authorization for the city manager to seek sealed bids for asphalt resurfacing on Reagan St from Church St east to dead end,
—authorization for the city manager to accept quote from Hahn Equipment for Flygt pumps in the amount of $28,765,
—an ordinance amending the official zoning map for the approximate 19.8 acres of recently annexed Kim's Convenience Store #45 along with adjacent State Highway 19 right of way to RC Retail Commercial Zoning District,
—an ordinance amending the official zoning map by rezoning Lots 1 through 24 of the Homewood subdivision adjacent to the 1100 block of Crockett Rd,
—authorization for the city manager to sign the Owner-Contractor Agreement for the Carnegie Library Project,