The Dover City Council is still seeking an alternative to a proposed 3 percent property tax increase offered up by city administrators to help filled a $3.4 million shortfall in next year’s budget.
Last night’s meeting wrapped up a two-night draft budget presentation which asked for alternatives to the 1 cent rate hike that would account for only $315-thousand.
Council member Beverly Williams wondered whether there was a better way to come up with the money emphasizing that the tax increase would be a relatively small part of the $166 million operating budget.
But the Wilmington News Journal reports that City Manager Scott Koenig argued that the five-year financial projection found the city’s General Fund would start out with at least $2.2 million in the red each year.
The paper added that the only other proposed revenue source in the budget draft is a 45 percent trash fee hike which would make the city trash collection service nearly self-sustaining.
