Mt. Vernon Register-News

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December 6, 2009

Council to look at annual levy ordinance

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The city council will be holding its first reading on the annual levy ordinance tonight.

According to the ordinance, the fire pension and police pension funds will make up the largest amounts to be levied. The amounts levied in the two funds is not determined by the city, but by the Illinois Department of Insurance.

“We have no control over those levies,” City Manager Ron Neibert recently reported. “They tell us what to levy.”

The Fire Pension Fund levy will be $857,249 and the Police Pension Fund levy will be $657,689.

Right behind the Fire and Police Pension Funds, is the levy for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and FICA, also known as Social Security. While working on the IMRF and Social Security levy, city officials were able to reduce the levy amount needed from $571,214 to $318,020 by using a surplus in the fund and by using public utility funds to take care of the public utility department portion of the funding.

The Parks and Recreation Department levy will be $168,172, which will be added to city funds of $913,264 to make up the total $1 million budgeted for the department.

The Emergency Management Agency levy amount will be $7,903; and the levy for property owners in Special Service Area No. 1 — also known as the downtown district — will be $87,692.

There will be no taxes levied for the General Corporate Fund. The total levy amount is at $2,159,725.

In preparation for the levies, the council will also be discussing an ordinance establishing the maximum levy rate for Special Service Area No. 1. Under terms of the proposed ordinance, the levy has been limited to 82 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation; however due to a request from the Downtown Mt. Vernon Development Corporation after a survey of property owners, the levy is expected to be increased $1.64 per $100 of EAV.

In other business the council will:

Hear bid results regarding police ammunition, two police squad cars and re-roofing of the DMDC building;

Hear a request to seek bids for a Fairway Aerator;

Hear requests to purchase a John Deere Model 997 Zero-turn mower through the Illinois Association of County Board Member and Commissioners Bid Program and to purchase a John Deere Model 4320 tractor with a front loader through the state bid program;

Hold a second reading on an ordinance to rezone property at 1208 Conger Avenue from RM2 to B2 by Rena Eggleston; and

Re-appoint Neibert to the 911 Board.

The city council will meet tonight at 7 p.m. at the Rolland Lewis Community Building at Veterans Park.

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