Staff is recommending a city levy of $25,437,000, which is an increase of $1,581,000 or 6.62 percent over last year, and an EDA levy of $500,000, which is no change from last year.  No changes were made to the levy from the preliminary levy that was set in September.

For the median value home with a property value decrease of 2.6 percent, from $346,500 to $338,400, this equates to an annual decrease of $54 in property taxes.  Absent any change in home value from the previous year, homeowners can expect a tax decrease of $30.  The city tax levy will reduce the city's tax rate from 28.59 to an estimated 27.70 percent.