A public hearing was held on the matter before the ordinance was introduced. The city said their real estate tax levy is proposed to be set at 26.7 cents per $100 assessed value, a 2.3 percent change as compared to the fiscal year 2019 rate of 26.1 cents.
The City’s Compensating Rate, the rate that would keep the revenue at the same amount as this fiscal year, is 25.7 cents per $100 ofassessed value. State law permits a city to adjust the rate upward by no more than 4 percent of the compensating rate, and with the proposed rate of 26.7 cents, the city would be taking the full 4 percent allowed.
This is still much more than the rate from 1995, when the real estate rate was 43.8 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The revenue generated by the property tax is the City’s second highest revenue source behind the payroll tax.
City leaders noted that the Paducah Board of Education is holding a hearing at 5:30 pm on September 16 regarding its tax levy. The city collects the school tax but passes the funds along to the district. The current tax levy for the school district is 84.0 cents per $100 of assessed value, but the school board is proposing to set its tax levy at 86.4 cents.
In other business, Assistant City Manager Michelle Smolen and Information Technology Director Stephen Chino gave commissioners a progress update for the Enterprise Resource Planning software project, which is also called the Munis project to reflect the name of the software through the vendor, Tyler Technologies. This multi-phase and multi-year software transition project kicked off in 2016.
So far, the City has integrated two full phases of the project, Financials (includes budgeting and purchasing) and Revenue, with the property tax phase to be launched next year.
Smolen said, “It’s a major organizational initiative.”
One of the next phases is the launch of Tyler 311 which will be a non-emergency service request online portal and app.
Smolen added that the City is exploring is the use of a Tyler product called EnerGov, which uses a GIS platform to automate, streamline, and connect permitting, inspection, and code enforcement processes. Smolen says an amended contract with Tyler Technologies to remove some unused elements and add the EnerGov system will be brought to city leaders at an upcoming meeting for consideration.
In other business, an ordinance was approved to close a portion of Mayfair Place between Sherwood Road and Marlborough Way. The adjacent property owners requested this closure of undeveloped property.
