City tax levy to increase in 2007

The Mt. Carmel City Council on Monday gave final reading to its annual Tax Levy Ordinance, which suggests an increase over last year’s figures.

Formal decision on the levy, which totals $762,263 — nearly $27,000 higher than last year — was unanimously approved by the city council on a motion by Mayor Tom Meeks, seconded by Commissioner John Fearheiley.

According to City Comptroller Mick Mollenhauer, taxes include $102,000 in General Corporate Tax; $42,000 Street and Bridge Tax; $28,500 Fire Protection Tax; $50,000 Recreation Tax; $0 Garbage Tax; $6,000 Special Audit Tax; $75,000 Special FICA Tax; $60,000 Special IMRF Tax; $45,000 Special Tort Insurance Tax; $7,000 Special Unemployment Insurance Tax; $141,038 Library Tax (Corporate Levy); $29,725 General Obligation Bond; $139,500 Policemen’s Pension Tax; and $36,500 Firemen’s Pension Tax.

Last year’s tax levy was around $735,500.

Mollenhauer said the levies for the library, and police and fire pensions, account for most of the increase. He said the pension levy amounts are governed by state mandate. Meanwhile, the city also is obligated to levy the total amounts requested by the Public Library Board.

This year’s ordinance marks the fifth tax levy increase in as many years.

An approximately 1.9 percent increase was approved in December 2005; a 5.37 percent increase in December 2004; 4.77 percent in 2003; and around 1.5 percent in 2002.

Tax Levy Ordinance 888 “has no discretionary increase,” Commissioner Mike Witters commented.

In other action Monday, both Mayor Meeks and Commissioner Fearheiley praised the work of city employees controlling a water main break that occurred on Dec. 8 at 10th and Market streets. Both officials were at the scene on the sub-freezing afternoon and the Mayor remarked, “I don’t know how (Street Superintendent) Dave Easter did it. He was chest deep in water helping to get a clamp on that line.”

The mayor said Bill Reed and Brian Cropper worked alongside Easter and he praised the support of Kieffer Lumber’s Bobby Leak and Mt. Carmel Stabilization company in providing pumps to get the water out of the hole so the broken main could be clamped.

Commissioner Fearheiley said the problem took almost five hours to repair and extended appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Willy Krupp for their assistance to city employees.

In his regular report, Commissioner Fearheiley said the water department has added Keith Reed as a new part-time employee at both the water and waste water management plants and Chris Young also is a new water plant employee.

He said the pump on city water well No. 3 must be replaced at a cost of $2,005.

City Administrative Assistant Merle Weems reported Monday that the street department will be moving into the former Ashland Oil Company property on East 5th Street in coming months. He said four transport loads of gravel were spread at the site this week and door openers are being installed for seven overhead doors at the building.

He reminded the city dump site will not be open this weekend due to the Christmas holidays and the next regular meeting of city council will be on Tuesday, Jan. 2, since City Hall will be closed on Monday.

City Commissioner Mike Witters reported that if he is reelected to the city council, the city’s chip and seal and asphalting program will be done differently with an Aug. 31 completion deadline for works awarded.

“We had a major screw up in the chip and seal done this year.” He said the oil normally is put down on a hot day and then the chips go down. “In November, this doesn’t work very well and we had quite a few complaints.”

“So we have been running the street cleaner and picking up the rocks. We just removed four dump truck loads off of Lambert Drive from streets that were chipped and sealed,” Witters said, and added this is hard on the street sweeping machine.