City Council members denied Mayor Tom Henry’s request Tuesday to raise property taxes, even after he offered a compromise on half of the hike he wanted.
The mayor had proposed a $140 million general fund budget for 2013 that included both the 2.8 percent property tax increase the state is allowing for next year and the 2.9 percent increase it allowed for this year that the city didn’t take.
When it was clear he wouldn’t get the full 5.7 percent he wanted, on Monday he offered to take just the 2.8 percent and make up for the other with interest from the money from the lease and sale of the city’s old electric utility.
The council took him up on his offer of using the interest, but denied both tax increases.
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