Only two people who were present at Monday night’s millage rate hearing conducted by the City of Cleveland made their thoughts known to the city council. The council has proposed doing only a partial rollback of the tax millage rate this year even though property values have increased substantially.
Mayor Josh Turner said the millage rate would be reduced from the current 5.918 mills to 5.472 mills, a reduction of .446 mill.
This was the first of three required public hearings. Prior to accepting comments, Cleveland City Administrator Kevin Harris presented an overview of the city’s millage rate and provided information on the revenue sources for the city in addition to the taxes.
Tedi and Dana Boling of Campbell Street called on the council to do a full rollback of the millage rate. Dana Boling told the council, “Since the county board of commissioners and the board of education can do a complete full 100 percent rollback of the millage rate, I don’t understand why the city can not.”
Boling shared with the council, according to research, that more people in poverty in White County live in Cleveland, and by not rolling back the millage rate she said, “you are striking the most poverty-ridden part of White County.”
The council has two more public hearings on the millage rate set for Tuesday, August 23rd, one at 9 a.m. and the other at 6:30 p.m. at Cleveland Community Center/Police Department building on Campbell Street.
