Berlin town officials are now looking at a property tax hike of 18 percent to help close a $15 million budget shortfall.
That’s down from a suggestion of a 30 percent increase that produced an outcry from residents at a recent town council meeting.
In addition, city officials are considering increasing the utility rate for water and sewer.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that Mayor Gee Williams said there were no easy decisions but that some will have to be made.
The proposal is expected to be taken up at the next council meeting on May 13th.
The paper reports that Berlin has not seen an increase in its property tax for the last 12 years holding at 68 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
