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August 25, 2015 — Meeting Minutes
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08-25-15 BOA Minutes August 25, 2015 Page 1 of 12
THE CITY OF CLAYTON
Board of Aldermen City Hall – 10 N. Bemiston Avenue August 25, 2015 7:00 p.m. Minutes
Mayor Sanger called the meeting to order and requested a roll call. The following individuals were in attendance:
Aldermen: Mark Winings, Joanne Boulton, Alex Berger III, Rich Lintz, and Ira Berkowitz. Mayor Sanger City Manager Owens City Attorney O’Keefe
Absent: Cynthia Garnholz
Alderman Boulton moved to approve the August 11, 2015 minutes. Alderman Winings seconded. The motion to approve the minutes passed unanimously on a voice vote. PUBLIC REQUESTS AND PETITIONS
Ms. Vivian Eveloff, resident, addressed the Board with concerns regarding the pool of water at 212 S. Meramec Avenue (formerly known as the Crossings Development project) construction site. City Manager Owens stated that the staff would follow-up with the contractors regarding the issue. RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS
City Manager Owens announced that the Clayton Police Department received the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Award recently. He noted that this is the highest honor and achievement in accreditation. Chief Murphy added that Clayton has been accredited for over 15 years and the organization expressed its sincerest congratulations (kudos) to the Police Department on how Clayton handled the demonstrations experienced over the last several months. A PUBLIC HEARING AND AN ORDINANCE TO CONSIDER SETTING THE TAX YEAR 2015 PROPERTY TAX LEVIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 BUDGET AND TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING - FIRST READING
Mayor Sanger opened the public hearing.
Chief Murphy added that Clayton has been accredited for over 15 years and the organization expressed its sincerest congratulations (kudos) to the Police Department on how Clayton handled the demonstrations experienced over the last several months. A PUBLIC HEARING AND AN ORDINANCE TO CONSIDER SETTING THE TAX YEAR 2015 PROPERTY TAX LEVIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 BUDGET AND TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING - FIRST READING
Mayor Sanger opened the public hearing. City Manager Owens reported that each year the City must approve property tax levies which are then submitted to St. Louis County for billing. Calendar year 2015 was a reassessment year. The City is allowed to receive additional revenue up to the Consumer Price Index which was only 0.8% for this year, and for the value of new construction. Per the FY 2016 budget plan, we are submitting the maximum allowable rates for your review. As part of the property tax levy process, the Board is also holding a public hearing to seek public input on the proposed tax rates. The proposed calendar year 2015 property tax levy requests for Budget Year 2016 were
08-25-15 BOA Minutes August 25, 2015 Page 2 of 12
provided in the Board packet. These levies are subject to change by the Board of Equalization and through the Missouri State Auditor’s certification process, therefore there is the potential for them to change slightly when they are presented to the Board for final passage. The property tax levy process is somewhat complex in that as assessments increase the City is not allowed to gain any more revenue. Therefore the maximum tax rates we are allowed to levy actually lower or “roll back” to generate no more revenue than the past year. The only ability to gain revenue is through the CPI (listed above) and through new construction. Thus the City’s maximum revenue each year is the revenue base from the previous year, plus CPI, plus the amounts related to new construction. This year both residential and commercial assessment growth occurred, therefore most of the tax rates decreased from the prior year even though we are still at the maximum rates. City General Fund and Debt Service The assessments on which the General Fund and Debt Service levies are applied increased this year in the amount of 6.6% for residential and 5.4% for commercial, which together is substantially higher assessment growth than we have experienced in recent years. The General Fund tax levy, which may be used for any general purpose, is projected to generate nearly $5.94 million, or approximately $60,000 higher than last year. The City also has a levy to support the debt service of the police building.